Baggage
by Potikanda
Summary: Blaine finds Kurt, broken and bruised, and takes care of him. Angst and fluff and sweetness all wrapped up in a Klainebow. Happy ending FTW!  Btw - my summaries suck!  XD
1. Chapter 1

Um... K... I guess this is gonna be angsty, with some hurt/comfort in it. I really have no clue what else to put in for warnings. For this chapter anyway. Um... Well, here it is, I guess. And no Glee doesn't belong to me. At all...

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><p>A soft sob sounded close to where Blaine was walking down the main street of Lima with his best friends, Wesley and David. Looking at his friends, he realised they hadn't heard the sound. He looked more closely at the people around him.<p>

There was a woman walking past, with an armful of bags, and a small girl clinging to her hand. There were a couple of men as well, laughing uproariously about something one of them had just said. And there was another man, younger, about his own age.

The young man was turned away from him, but from the set of his shoulders, and the tilt of his head, Blaine _knew_ that this was the source of the sob he had heard.

"Blaine, man, you coming?" David looked at him carefully, sharing a glance of concern with Wes.

"Yeah, um… Give me a minute, guys, I'll catch up with you." Blaine's eyes never left the young mans' shaking shoulders and back. As he walked up behind him, Blaine noticed that the boy's clothes were torn, dirty. He had positioned himself as close to the building that he was standing by as possible, to avoid getting shoved by the people walking by.

"Hey," Blaine murmured softly, torn between grasping the boy's arm and spinning him around, and just allowing him to turn of his own accord. When the boy jumped nearly a foot in the air, and gasped while spinning around, Blaine was glad he hadn't grabbed him if the boy was this jumpy already.

"Hey," Blaine murmured again. "Are you all right?" The young man's eyes were bloodshot and red-rimmed from crying, but he lifted his chin in defiance, almost daring Blaine to make a big deal out of it.

"I'm fine, thank you." Blaine was truly surprised at the clipped tone that emanated from the boy's mouth. He sounded so… hurt. Blaine's mouth went dry, as he took in the vision of this young man before him. Although he was dirty, he held himself with what Blaine took as arrogance. As though he was better than this, than what he had become.

The boy's eyes widened slightly as he watched Blaine staring at him. Then, with a touch of a scowl to his mouth, he turned away from Blaine, wandering slowly down the sidewalk. Blaine kept pace with the boy, stepping a touch behind the boy. He noticed that the young man walked with a slight limp pn his left side.

"Why are you following me?" The boy asked exasperatedly. "I don't have anything for you." Keeping his head down, the boy refused to meet eye contact with anyone on the street with him.

"Look, I don't know what's wrong, but I'd like to help…" Blaine stopped in shock, as the boy spun around angrily.

"You can't help me!" The boy shouted, as fresh tears welled up, threatening to slip down his filthy cheeks. "No one can…"

The boy began to run clumsily, turning a corner. Blaine sighed softly, and walked quickly after him. He knew that in the young man's state, he would never be able to get far before collapsing. As Blaine rounded the corner he scanned the alley for signs of the young man.

"Hello?" He called nervously. Because, hello, was he actually following some strange guy down a dark, deserted alleyway just to help him?

A soft sniffle came from a pile of garbage, halfway down the alley. As there was no one else in sight, Blaine made his way carefully down the alley, stopping when he rounded the garbage bags and staring down at the pitiful sight in front of him.

The boy was sitting, his back against the garbage bags, his legs pulled up to his chest, his forehead pressed against his knees. He was shivering slightly, and Blaine slowly placed his hand softly on the boy's shoulder. Surprisingly, it wasn't shrugged off.

"What do you want from me?" He heard, muffled through the fabric of the boy's jeans.

"I really just want to help you, if you'll let me." Blaine answered quietly. Kneeling down, he wrapped his arm around the young man, pulling him into a close hug. That was it for the boy. He began sobbing into Blaine's chest, his cries soft but definitely there, as though he was trying desperately to control them.

Blaine waited until the worst of the sobbing had passed, then pulled away slightly to look into the boy's eyes. His clear, albeit slightly damp, _amazingly beautiful_ eyes. Blaine inhaled sharply, as he realised that he had seen these eyes before.

"Okay. We're going to go back to my place. Relax," Blaine commanded sharply, as the young man began to struggle and cry again. "I'm not going to hurt you, I promise. But I have to make sure you're all right, and we're going to get you cleaned up and warm, okay?" He finished softly, sending the boy what he hoped were reassuring glances with his eyes.

The young man looked at him, really _looked_, and Blaine could see the moment when he decided to trust him.

"Okay," The boy murmured softly, and Blaine helped him up off the ground. Blaine took his cell phone out of his coat pocket, and sent off a quick text to Wes.

_Something came up, I'll see you guys back at Dalton. _He typed quickly.

_Do you need us to come help?_ This text was from David, who had always been faster at texting than Wes.

_No, I'm okay. Just have to help somebody. I'll see you guys later._ With that, he placed the cell back in his pocket, and turned to the boy in front of him.

"Come on, my car is only a couple of blocks away, and then I'll take you to see where I live." Taking the boy by the hand, Blaine led him out of the alley, down the two blocks and to his car. The boy stopped a few feet away, his sharp breath alerting Blaine to the fact that he had stopped.

Blaine stopped and turned to the young man, a question forming on his lips, although he didn't voice it.

"My… my father works with cars..." The boy commented softly. "I happen to know that car is ridiculously expensive…" He took his eyes off the car for a moment to stare in wonder at Blaine. "Wh… who _are _you?" He asked quietly.

Blaine chuckled. "I _happen _to be the guy trying to help you, so if you would can you please stop staring at the car and get in?" He opened the passenger side door for the boy, waiting patiently for him to gather the courage to get in.

"I… I couldn't…" The boy whispered. "I'm _filthy_. I'd _ruin_ the seats if I got in there!"

Blaine let out a full sized belly laugh. "Just get _in_, silly! I'll take care of the cleaning later." His eyes went from amused to serious in seconds. "You need to trust me, okay?" He hoped his eyes were conveying the desire, no, the _need_ to help this boy.

He stared softly at Blaine, his eyes taking in the other boy holding the door for him, being serious, and he gave a tremulous smile.

"I do. I have no idea why, but I _do_ trust you. All right," He laughed softly to himself, and he walked forward and slid into the front seat.

Blaine bounded to the driver's side, got in and started the car. As they pulled out into the early afternoon traffic, Blaine was blinded by the force of the smile from the young man sitting beside him. Smiling back, he settled himself more comfortably in the seat, preparing himself for the long trip back to Dalton.


	2. Chapter 2

Okay, so thanks to Addie (Starbler on Tumblr) for pretty well advising me I had a good thing here, because I'm so self concious of my writing and this is the first thing I've ever written and wow, I love her tumblr, if you're not following her I think you should be. Yeah. So. I decided to name this fic Baggage, cause there seems to be a lot of it coming. I don't own glee. That's probably for the best though. :D

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><p>Blaine smiled gently at the sound of soft snoring coming from the as-of-yet unnamed boy who slept soundly in the front seat of his sedan. Blaine had taken the opportunity to contemplate his passenger while he drove. The boy was immensely dirty, smelled bad, and… Blaine couldn't take his eyes off of him. From the look of the boy, he was thin, painfully so. He also had some of the most beautiful bone structure that Blaine had ever seen. Blaine imagined the boy's skin to be like marble when clean, his hair stylish without being over done. Blaine allowed his imagination to run away a bit, especially as he thought about the clear, gorgeous eyes and the amazing, kissable lips. Oh shit, Blaine thought to himself. That is <em>so<em> not appropriate for a boy that looks like he's seen a lot and been through a lot more.

As he pulled into the Dalton Academy parking lot, he glanced around at the few people who were out enjoying the warm fall day.

Leaning over, he gently shook the arm of the boy beside him. He snapped back quickly, when said boy proceeded to flail around wildly as he awoke.

"Woah, calm down, it's just me, Blaine," He told the other boy quietly.

"Sorry," The boy replied, an embarrassed blush creeping up his neck to settle in his cheeks. "I'm not used… to… nevermind." He muttered softly.

"Hey," Blaine looked at the boy with a grin on his face. "It's no big deal. Like, at all. I'm hard to wake up sometimes too." And with that, Blaine bounced out of the car, running around to the passenger side to help the young man. He half carried, half dragged him through the front doors of Dalton, climbing the stairs and pulling him down the hall to the room he managed to snag all to himself.

While walking, the boy had been looking around, his eyes getting bigger and bigger the more of Dalton he had been able to see. The closer he had come to Blaine's room, the more his hands had shaken, and he seemed ready to collapse from pure exhaustion.

Blaine unlocked the door to his room, and manhandled the boy inside, depositing him on the bed. While Blaine proceeded to gather some items he would need to tend to his visitor, the boy took the opportunity to look around the fairly neat, well-organised room.

The bed was pushed against the far wall, the covers pulled up but not really well made. A desk sat under the large bay window, a laptop and a small desk lamp plugged into the wall on it.

A laundry hamper was placed beside the closet, with a few things in it, and the door to the closet was open, revealing many clothes that really all looked the same. A small stereo system and TV were placed on a shelving unit across from the bed, with a small collection of DVD's on the shelf right under them.

As the boy took in the sights of Blaine's room, Blaine finished collecting the stuff he needed. Grabbing a big, fluffy towel, some sweatpants and a tee shirt, he gathered up the boy by slinging his arm around his waist and hoisting him up, and literally carried him down the hall to the bathroom.

"You know, you don't have to do this for me," The boy murmured softly. If Blaine hadn't been paying attention, he would have sworn the boy hadn't said anything at all, his voice was so soft.

"I couldn't stand to see you out there." Blaine replied gently. "I'm not sure why, but I _knew_ you needed me. And it wasn't like there were a huge bunch of people waiting in line to help you, either." Handing the boy a face cloth, he directed him to one of the shower stalls. He placed a chair outside the stall, and advised him that he would return in a few minutes in case he needed him.

A blush crept up the boy's face again, as he realised he was going to have privacy to shower in peace. "Thank you," he murmured quietly, and began stripping off his filthy clothes. Blaine walked away, back to his room, and set up his bed for the boy. Blaine would be more than happy to sleep on the floor, if it meant the boy would begin getting better.

Returning to the bathroom, he paused, listening. The sobs that came from in the bathroom were audible, but just. It was as if the boy was doing everything in his power to control his emotions, but wasn't succeeding as well as he would have liked.

Opening the door, Blaine found the boy in the shower stall, naked, soaking wet, but crumpled up at the bottom of the stall, not able to stand up and get clean.

Rushing over, he noticed the flinching motion the boy gave as he reached for him.

"It's okay," Blaine soothed. "I promise I won't hurt you. But if you want to get clean you'll need to let me help you." Stripping off his pants and shirt, he entered the stall wearing nothing but his boxers. Bending down, he gently scooped up the boy in his arms, placing his feet back on the floor and positioning himself so that he was keeping the boy upright using his body.

He gently washed the boy's hair, making sure to condition it too, and then ran the washcloth over the less embarrassing parts of the boy's body. Handing the washcloth off to the boy, he averted his eyes as the boy washed those parts of him that made Blaine blush outrageously even just to think of.

Once they were finished, Blaine turned off the water, and grabbed the towel from the rack outside the stall. Drying them both off with the fluffy towel, he helped the boy get into his clean sleepwear.

Now that he was warm, the young man was slowly falling asleep in Blaine's arms. So he picked him up, bridal-style, and carried him down the hall to his room. Opening the door quietly, he placed the young man on his bed, drawing the covers up and around his shoulders. Blaine started to walk back out the door, on his way to clean up the bathroom, when a sigh came from the bed.

"Kurt," came the voice, almost completely asleep now. Blaine walked back over and whispered, "What?"

"My name. It's Kurt." Mumbled the voice from in Blaine's pillow, and then all that was left was the soft snoring of a very, very tired young man.


	3. Chapter 3

Wow. So This just kinda happened. Not quite what I was planning on having happen, especially with my OC's, but, well. Can I just say, not my fault? Once again, thanks to Addie (Starbler on Tumblr) for encouraging me. And, yeah... here's chapter 3. Hope you like it!

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><p>Blaine woke early the next morning. He had camped out on the floor beside the bed, ready to bolt up if Kurt had needed him. Fortunately, Kurt had remained perfectly silent all night long. What Blaine didn't know was that Kurt had woken three times during the night, tears rolling down his cheeks from the horrifying nightmares he had suffered.<p>

So when Blaine woke up at 6:30 that morning, Kurt had _just_ fallen back to sleep, and he looked a bit worse for wear.

Blaine reached up to the bed beside him, gently taking Kurt's hand as he slept. As Kurt's frown smoothed out into peaceful relaxation, Blaine realised he probably shouldn't be grasping Kurt's hand, but couldn't make himself let go, either. It was so soft, and Blaine took a moment to wonder how Kurt got his hands to be so unbelievably soft. As he lay there, gently stroking his thumb over the back of Kurt's hand, the sun peeked from behind a cloud and a shaft of pure sunshine fell across Kurt's face, waking him instantly.

"Hello," Kurt murmured softly, looking over the edge of the bed, taking in the sight of Blaine stroking his hand.

"Hi," Blaine whispered back, just as softly, and he treated the other boy to a soft smile. "I have to start getting ready for school, but you're more than welcome to stay here and relax." Blaine took in the suddenly tense posture of the boy on the bed, and clambered up to sit beside him.

"I mean it. You should just relax, and take the day to start healing. I have no idea what happened to you, but I won't allow anyone to hurt you anymore," Blaine muttered harshly. Kurt flinched a little, and Blaine rose from the bed. "I'm going to the showers now, you should lay back down and get some more sleep, okay?"

Kurt looked up at Blaine as he gathered the things he would need for his shower. "Why are you being so nice to me, Blaine?" Kurt asked hesitantly. "No one my age has _ever_ been nice to me, and most adults hate me on principle." Kurt sighed gently.

Blaine looked over at the openly defeated boy that now sat cross-legged on his bed, and crossed over to sit next to him again. Grasping Kurt's hand, Blaine looked Kurt directly in the eyes, even though Kurt couldn't return the stare.

"Kurt. Look at me. _Look at me._ Please…" As Kurt looked into his eyes, Blaine felt the floor drop beneath him, and thanked his lucky stars that he was sitting down. The _force_ of those eyes did funny things to his insides.

"This school, Dalton? Well, I should let you know, they have a zero-tolerance, no-bullying policy." Blaine took in the confusion and hope that sprang into the other boy's eyes. "So while you're here, no one, and I mean _no one_, is going to mess with you. Are we clear on that?" Blaine blinked softly as Kurt's eyes flooded, and he nodded slowly. "So, if you want, I'll take you down to the cafeteria, we'll get some breakfast, and then I'll bring you back here so that I can run off to classes. Then at lunch, I'll come get you, and we can talk. How does that sound?"

The tears started to slip down Kurt's cheeks again, but he nodded slowly again, his embarrassed eyes looking down at his lap, where his legs were crossed one over the other. "That sounds… Well, that sounds wonderful…" Kurt still spoke so softly, but Blaine was getting better at catching the words that tumbled from Kurt's mouth.

Blaine then jumped up, off the bed, and declared "Well, I need to have a shower. I'm all gross at the moment. You gonna be okay for a few minutes?" He looked over at Kurt again, who hadn't moved but was tracking Blaine's movements around the room.

"Yeah," He muttered. "Yeah I'll be fine for a bit… you _will _come back, though, right?" The frightened undertone in Kurt's voice made Blaine want to murder someone, and yet comfort and cuddle Kurt all at the same time.

"Yes, Kurt…" Blaine replied softly. "I'll be right back. It won't take long, I promise." Gathering his things, Blaine made his way down the hallway, meeting up with Wes as he trudged out of his room, also headed towards the bathroom.

"Hey man," Wes clapped Blaine on the shoulder and followed him down the hallway. "Everything get sorted out yesterday? Didn't see you after we got back. You missed out on a really good dinner." Wes continued the conversation as they took up side-by-side stalls in the bathroom.

"Not everything," Blaine hedged, not really wanting to bring this up with Wes, but knowing that if he didn't spill it, Wes and David would likely pester him about it until he caved. "When we were walking yesterday, I heard someone crying. Not, hugely, crying… just softly sobbing…" Blaine ran his fingers through his curly dark hair as he recounted his experiences.

"Woah…" Wes commented gently, when Blaine advised him that the boy was currently sitting in Blaine's room, waiting for him to return. "So you have no idea why he was crying, or dirty, or _anything?_ Boy, you really need to stop taking in strays!" Wes commented, before clapping his hand over his mouth, horrified at what he just said.

Blaine simply rolled his eyes, coming back with a simple "Yeah, thanks for that," before continuing. "I don't know, Wes. It was like, I could see him but no one else could, you know? Like he was worthless to everyone else around him, but me. And I couldn't _not_ help him. He just looked, so alone, but too proud to say or do anything about it. You know? I don't really know. Maybe I'm just hopeless…" Blaine trailed off with a sigh, rinsing his hair of the conditioner, and turning off the water. Grabbing his towel, he rubbed it over his curly head, across his shoulders and chest, and then wrapped it tightly around his waist.

Wes was stepping out of the shower at the same time, and threw Blaine a quick glance.

"Well, if you plan on bringing him to breakfast, you'd better get a move on. It's bacon today, and you know that David and Thad will steal it all if you don't get there quick!" With a flip of his hand for a goodbye, Wes darted off to his room, probably to make sure David was awake and hadn't just rolled over and went back to sleep.

Blaine made his semi-naked way back down the hall, clutching his dirty clothing in one hand, and using the other to make sure his towel didn't slip down too far. He got to his room, and pushed the door open.

"Ooof…" Blaine huffed, as a rocket named Kurt slammed into him, arms wrapping around his body and clinging like an octopus.

"Hey..." Blaine wrapped his arms around Kurt gently, holding him close and simply allowing the boy's shaking to subside.

"A b-boy…" Kurt began, his shaking resuming at the words. "H-he came in to wake you up, but i-it was just me in here… He asked me who I was, and what right did I have to be in h-here…" Kurt's soft shuddering abated, long enough for him to pull back a touch and look at Blaine. "I think… I think he was going to get a teacher or something… he said a word, I don't understand it… Prefect. I thought he was just making up words, but I'm scared now, Blaine. What will they do to me?" And the shaking resumed, as Blaine steered Kurt back to the bed. He put one hand on Kurt's shoulder, pressing him gently to sit down, all the while holding his towel, which had been slowly slipping down his waist. Kurt finally took a good look at Blaine, realised he was only clad in a towel, and gave a small squeak of embarrassment. His face flushed scarlet, and he dropped his eyes to the floor, his ears burning in shame.

"Okay, first of all, a prefect is like a group leader. He handles all of the day-to-day interactions, making sure all rules are followed and no one gets up to any funny business. James is a really cool guy, and he's the same age as us, so you don't have to worry about adults, okay?" Kurt took a deep breath and nodded his head. "Secondly, what did the boy look like, the one who barged in here? Brown hair? Messy? Kinda tall and gangly?" Kurt nodded again, his eyes wide as saucers. "Okay, that would be Joey. He likes to barge in without knocking when I've overslept. He's a good guy… just a little, well, enthusiastic, I suppose would be the correct term." Blaine smiled affectionately.

A knock sounded at the door, purposeful and sharp. Blaine crossed the room quickly and pulled open the door.

"Hey Joey, Hiya James. Come on in. I'd like you guys to meet someone." Blaine turned around to face Kurt, whose back was pressed up against the wall, his knees drawn up to his chest.

Blaine walked over and sat carefully on the edge of the bed, trying very hard not to scare Kurt.

"Okay, so this is Joey," Blaine introduced, and Joey gave a small wave, grinning like a loon. "And this is our prefect, James." The second boy smiled at Kurt as well. He had short blond hair, was pretty tall, and looked athletic. He gave a small nod to Kurt, and turned his eyes inquiringly at Blaine.

"Kurt has had a bit of a rough time the past little while," Blaine commented, seemingly offhand. "He's gonna stay with me for a little bit, if that's okay, James?"

James looked carefully at the frightened boy who sat nearly paralysed with fear. "Yeah, Blaine. That's no problem." James looked Kurt up and down. "Yeah. He could pass as a cousin or something. We can make it work."

"No," Blaine retorted. He looked gently at Kurt, who stared back. "Not a cousin. That might make things weird, since he's staying in my room. He's a friend from junior high, up for a visit. Think that'll float with the Dean?"

James once more gave Kurt a look, and nodded his head. "Yeah, we can make that work. Just be careful, Blaine. You know what happened the last time you brought home a stray."

Blaine groaned. "_Why_ won't anyone let me forget that? How was I supposed to know that the darn dog enjoyed digging in the flower beds?" Joey and James laughed, and even Kurt cracked a smile at the thought. _Finally_, Blaine thought to himself. _Maybe he'll start trusting me and let me in._

James and Joey shared a look, and they both knew instinctively that Blaine was infatuated. But Joey gave a small shrug, and James grinned a bit, and they both decided to leave Blaine to it. They said their goodbyes and "catch you later"s, and left Kurt and Blaine alone in the bedroom. Kurt's face was still red, and Blaine realised that he was still only wearing a towel. Grabbing his uniform, Blaine walked into the tiny washroom the room boasted, and changed in there.


	4. Chapter 4

Yeah. Well, this thing seems to be like a living, breathing organism. It's all right there, floating around in my head. I started this fic yesterday, and I'm already posting chapter 4. Wow. Yeah. Like always, I don't own anything, except the plot line, which I'm pretty sure is just plain old me. If it's not, and I'm accidently plagerising, PLEASE let me know! I don't remember all of the fics I've read, so this might be somewhere in my subconcious floating around. Hope you guys like it!

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><p>Blaine was dressed in record time, after having made sure Kurt had some of his clean casual clothes to wear. Since Kurt didn't go to Dalton, he really couldn't get in trouble for being out of uniform.<p>

Together, the boys made their way downstairs to the cafeteria, passing an arguing Wes and David on the way down.

David noticed Blaine and Kurt on the way past, and stopped his argument with Wes to fall in beside Blaine and throw an arm across his shoulders.

"Hey Blaine!" David grinned fiercely at his friend, and turned to Kurt with a slightly less manic smile. Releasing his hold on Blaine, he held out his hand to Kurt. "I'm David! Nice to meet you!" His grin slipped a bit when Kurt just stared at him, stunned.

Blaine reached over to take David's hand, and gently pushed him in the direction of the cafeteria.

"Guys, this is Kurt. I told you about him yesterday, remember?" Blaine wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, making sure they caught the hint.

"Oh, Yeah! Kurt! Well, welcome to Dalton, man! Better get a move on or I'm gonna eat all the bacon!" And with that, David dashed off in search of food.

Kurt watched the other boy disappear, a small smile of amusement playing over his lips. He clutched at Blaine's hand when a few more boys rushed past, and unconsciously leaned closer to where Blaine and Wes were talking softly about a homework assignment.

They all wandered into the hall together, grabbing trays and waiting in line for their breakfasts.

Wes and Blaine got the full breakfast, including eggs, bacon, sausage, toast and home fries. Kurt, on the other hand, only picked up a small bowl of granola and yoghurt, and an orange. Blaine and Wes cringed when they saw the granola, and Blaine spent a good minute and a half trying to convince Kurt to take more than just what he had.

"It's not a big deal, Kurt, if you want more than just that. I mean, there's bacon!" And he pointed to the small mountain of bacon lying in the greasy platter.

Kurt looked at it, as though contemplating, but responded with a soft, "I'm a vegetarian, Blaine."

Both Blaine and Wes cocked an eyebrow, but neither commented, and Kurt was left in peace.

Blaine paid for both his and Kurt's meals, while Wes coughed up money for his own. As they settled at the table alongside David, Kurt whispered to Blaine that he would pay him back.

"Don't even worry about it, dummy. I'm more than happy to treat you. It's not like my allowance gets spent on much else." Blaine however, did neglect to tell Kurt exactly how much allowance he got a week. It may not have been as much as some of the other students around Dalton, but it wasn't anything to sneeze at, either.

As Kurt sat eating quietly, in seeming contemplation, Blaine studied him unobtrusively. He noticed that Kurt flinched every time he heard a loud noise, and when someone brushed up against him when walking past, he almost jumped out of his skin. Blaine realised that the boy he was helping had had a really, really rough time before meeting Blaine, and his mind raced around in circles, trying to determine why Kurt was so scared.

"Blaine," Came the soft whisper from the withdrawn boy beside him. "I can feel you staring at me. Please stop." Blaine felt the blush begin at his neck and spread over his cheeks, and he quickly returned his focus to his food. He began to devour it at a tremendous pace, as he realised what time it was. He had a total of five minutes to get to class or risk facing detention for tardiness.

Wes and David jumped up, and placed their trays in the holding rack.

"Bye, Kurt," Wes called and David waved, as they dashed out the door into the hall.

Blaine scarfed down the remainder of his food, and checked Kurt's tray only to discover Kurt waiting for him to finish. They placed their trays on the holding rack as well, and Blaine grabbed Kurt's hand and rushed out the door. He led Kurt to the bottom of the staircase, and released his hand.

"Will you be okay getting back to the room from here?" Blaine asked worriedly. "I'd take you myself, but I don't need detention this week, if I'm going to help you," Blaine took in the slight panic in the boy's eyes, who then very carefully schooled his emotions.

"I'll be fine, Blaine. It's just on the second floor, um… seven doors down on the right, right?" Kurt had to stop and think for a second.

"Yes, that's right! Excellent!" Blaine praised, while a soft blush crept up Kurt's cheeks. "I'll see you later then?" Kurt nodded quickly, and Blaine dashed off to his first class of the day, leaving a stricken Kurt floundering on the stairs.

Kurt slowly made his way up the staircase, taking in the paintings and view from the windows as he passed them. He wandered down the hallway slowly, basking in the opulence of the building, his mind at peace for the first time in what felt like years.

Kurt gave a start when a figure darted out of one of the rooms, heading towards the staircase at full tilt. He pressed himself unobtrusively against a wall as the other boy ran past, not even noticing that Kurt was there.

Kurt dashed the rest of the way down the hallway, and yanked open the door to Blaine's room. As he pushed the door closed behind him, the tears started falling, and he slumped to the ground against the door, sobbing softly.

Ever since yesterday, he no longer had control over his emotions. His tears flowed whenever the hell they felt like it, and he felt like he had no power to stop them.

Yesterday.

Oh God. What would his father say? Kurt knew that Burt would be searching frantically for him, but didn't have the guts to call him to let him know where he was. He was too ashamed to let Burt know what had happened. The tears continued to fall, mercilessly soaking into the Death Cab for Cutie tee shirt Blaine had loaned him.

As the sobs finally died down in his throat, Kurt crawled into the tiny bathroom, finding only a sink and a toilet, and pulling off a generous handful of toilet paper. Wiping and blowing his nose, he tried to pull himself together, while sitting on the cold tile floor. The alone time allowed his mind to return to yesterday, and all of a sudden, he was being sick into the toilet.

The door to the room opened quietly, and Blaine rushed in, gently rubbing Kurt's back softly, while murmuring soothing words.

"Hey, it's okay. You're going to be all right. Okay? Nothing bad is going to happen to you here. I promise. It's okay…" As Kurt finished being sick, Blaine pulled off another clump of toilet paper, and handed it to Kurt to wipe his mouth. Fishing in the cupboard behind the medicine cabinet, Blaine pulled out a brand new toothbrush and a tube of toothpaste for Kurt.

Handing them off to Kurt, he helped him get to his feet, and made sure that Kurt was steady enough to stand by himself while he brushed his teeth, and then returned into his room to put his shoulder bag on the chair at the desk.

Kurt returned to the room after having brushed his teeth, washed his face, and using Blaine's comb to somewhat tame the mess on the top of his head.

"You're looking a bit better, now," Blaine commented softly as he took in the colour in Kurt's cheeks. The other boy wasn't nearly as pale as he had been, and Blaine was guessing a good cry was something that Kurt had needed, for cathartic reasons.

"Yeah... I feel a bit better now. Guess all I needed was a good cry." Kurt echoed Blaine's thoughts aloud. "Um. Blaine, is there, like, a pay phone or something I can use? I'm guessing my dad is probably throwing a fit right now, not knowing where I am. He's got a weak heart, so I'd like to avoid putting him under any more stress than I already have."

Blaine reached over to his blazer pocket and pulled out his cell phone. Tossing it to Kurt, he commented "I have unlimited nation-wide long distance, so it doesn't matter how far away he is. Just call him and let him know you're okay. If I had known you needed to call him, I would have told you to do it last night." Blaine coloured slightly, because he had automatically assumed that Kurt had been homeless, or possibly in a broken home.

Kurt coloured too, automatically realising what Blaine was thinking. He simply responded with a quiet "Thank you," and opened the phone.

Dialling the number that he knew so well, he waited half a ring before the line was picked up.

"Kurt?" The voice on the end of the line sounded so worried, so weary and so distraught, that Kurt almost burst into tears again.

"Yeah, Dad. It's me." Kurt murmured softly into the phone.

"Oh God, kid. Thank God you're okay. I've been frantic since Finn…" His father cut off, not really sure how to put into words the story that Kurt's stepbrother had told him. Not that Finn knew the truth. But he did know some of it. And that he told Kurt's father hurt Kurt. A lot.

"Calm down, Dad. I'm all right," Kurt began, but his father cut him off.

"Where are you? I'm coming to get you. Stay right where you are. And why aren't you calling from you're cell phone? Kurt? Are you still there? KURT!"

"Dad! Please, I'm all right, will you just listen to me please? " Kurt's strong voice as he talked to his father impressed Blaine. "Dad, I'm not going to tell you where I am at this moment. I've, well, I've made a new friend and he's been looking after me."

"Kurt Elizabeth Hummel you tell me where you are this instant! You have had me worried to death all night long, and you didn't call until now, and you won't tell me where you are? Kid you better have one HELL of an explanation, because if you don't," And Burt left the threat hanging there, for his son to absorb the implications.

"No Dad. I c-can't." Kurt's voice wavered slightly, his emotions flying over his face as he tried desperately not to break down on his father. Blaine reached up to grasp his hand lightly, conveying all of the sympathy and support he could through a simple gesture.

"Why not, Kurt?" And now Burt was crying, which opened the floodgates for Kurt. He collapsed on the bed beside Blaine, openly sobbing his poor heart out.

"I-I h-have to s-sort through t-this m-myself…" Kurt blurted out, before his crying cut off any response he could have made to his father.

Blaine gently pried the cell from Kurt's clutching hand, and placed his ear to the receiver.

"Sir?" Blaine asked, trying to gain the attention of the now openly weeping man.

"Hello?" A woman's voice came over the phone. "Kurt?" She asked down the line.

"No Ma'am. My name is Blaine, I'm a friend of Kurt's. He's… well he's a bit upset right now, and he really doesn't want to come home yet. He's all right, physically, from what I've been allowed to see. But he's been emotionally roughed up and needs a bit of healing time." Blaine closed his eyes and prayed to whatever force was out there that this woman would see reason and not force him to tell her where they were.

The line muffled for a moment, as she spoke to Kurt's father.

"All right, Blaine. I can tell from your voice that Kurt's mind is made up, and he is very much like his father sometimes. Stubborn." Blaine could tell that she was rolling her eyes, and a small smile crept onto his face. "Still, Burt is really worried about Kurt, so please make sure he calls again soon. Is this your phone number, Blaine?"

"Yes, this is my cell." Blaine replied. "I know that Kurt's dad has a heart problem, so if you need to call him, no matter what time of day or night, then call. It's always on."

"Thank you, Blaine. My name is Carol, by the way. I'm, well, I'm Kurt's stepmother. I don't know if I've had the chance to tell him yet, but can you please let him know that I love him? And that his father is really worried and that we'll be waiting for him to call?"

"Of course, Carol. I promise I'll get him to call soon, but right now he just needs to calm down and work through some of this first. I'm working on getting him to open up to me about what happened, but I think he needs to start trusting me first. Once I can get him calmed down, I'll definitely get him to call you, okay?" Blaine swiped his hand over his eyes, as he waited for her response.

"Okay. Okay, Blaine. Please let him know we love him. An-and… Thank you so much for being a good friend to him, Blaine. That truly means so much to us."

Blaine looked down at the teary eyed boy lying prostrate on his bed. "I'm trying, Carol. I'm really trying. Bye for now."


	5. Chapter 5

Wow... So.. warnings... We finally get to see why Kurt was found the way he was... I'm not sure if anyone reading has triggers, but please be careful of this chapter, it has some very detailed musings about being beaten up. I'm kind of scared to post this chapter, because honestly, I'm not very good... and this chapter was all kinds of difficult. Yeah. Once again, thanks to Addie (Starbler on Tumblr) and a new reader, Stevie! You guys help me find the confidence to post these, and I'll never forget it! As always, glee is not mine, but the plot line is. Just sayin. Hope you like it.

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><p>Blaine allowed Kurt a good half an hour to calm down in his room. Blaine took the opportunity to run down to the kitchen and make Kurt a soothing up of green tea, and grabbed a couple of cookies from the cookie jar on the counter. Returning to his room, he found Kurt sitting at the desk, laptop closed, just staring out the window at the cloudy day outside.<p>

"Hey, Kurt…" Blaine began. "I brought you some tea. I hope you like green because it's all we had, really…" Blaine stammered to a stop, as Kurt turned from the window and just looked at him. Blaine felt like Kurt was looking into the very depths of his soul, and he tried hard not to shudder.

"You need to tell me why you're doing this," Kurt spoke softly. "I need to know. Am I some charity case you feel the need to take care of? Is that all I am to you?" And Kurt's eyes once again began filling with tears.

"Oh, God. No! Kurt, I'm so sorry if I made you feel that way!" Blaine blurted out. "Really! I just… well… I felt like you were, kind of, sort of, like a kindred spirit, or something…" Blaine blushed to the roots of his hair. It was something he hadn't even confided to Wes or David.

"I-I was bullied and picked on in school when I was younger. My last school took a very strong stance opposing, well, any one who wasn't like them. And with me being gay, they took a lot of pleasure in torturing me daily." Kurt's eyes grew round, and he sucked in a gasp, before lowering his eyes to the hands in his lap and blushing too.

"I'm sorry." Kurt whispered. "I-I know how it feels. To be alone. To be out, and completely alone."

"But you aren't alone, Kurt." And Blaine walked over to Kurt, tilting his head up slightly and forcing Kurt to look at him. "Because I'm here now. And I promised that I will never let anyone hurt you again. And I mean it," Blaine ended, his voice dropping down into a soft whisper.

Kurt's eyes were damp, his nose red and his lips pursed in thought, and Blaine realised that he had never seen such a beautiful human being before. Because Kurt was just, well, perfect.

Blinking softly, Blaine realised that his face was only a couple of inches away from Kurt's, who looked devastatingly delicious, sitting there, looking into Blaine's eyes. Heaving a soft sigh of regret, Blaine pulled away, causing Kurt to blink rapidly and draw in a huff of breath.

"Thank you," Kurt said quietly, his shaking hand pulling softly through his hair, smoothing it back. He rose gracefully from the chair and sat on the bed, looking at Blaine with intrigued eyes.

"I think it's time I told you what happened yesterday." Blaine sat gingerly beside Kurt, making himself comfortable for the story.

"Being gay, I'm a target. You know what this is like, you just told me that." Blaine nodded sympathetically. "At my school, the jocks and the cheerleaders run everything. I've been tortured too. Everything from wedgies and slushy facials, to swirlies and dumpster tosses." Blaine interrupted with a quiet "What's a swirly?" Kurt's chuckle was completely humourless. "It's when someone puts your head in the toilet, and flushes." "Oh," Blaine nodded. "When I was growing up, we always called it bogwashing. I got those too." Kurt nodded shyly, and continued.

"Well, yesterday, they took it too far. A group of jocks decided to follow me home from school. I was walking, because it turned out to be such a beautiful day, and they were in a car. They pulled up beside me…" Kurt paused, as the emotions flashed across his face. Blaine watched silently, lending support and comfort to his friend.

"They decided they were going to try and make me straight. Beat the gay out of me, as it were…" Kurt choked a little on the word "beat". "They slushied me, then wedgied me… and a couple of the guys tried to pants me, but yay for skinny jeans…" Kurt's tears were flowing openly now. "Even I have trouble taking them off…" He hiccuped through his tears, a hysterical giggle bubbling up from his throat. Blaine reached forward and found Kurt's hand, gripping tightly to offer even more support.

After a couple of deep breaths, Kurt carried on.

"They grabbed me, and put me into the trunk of the car. I don't know why no one stopped them… They gagged me so I couldn't scream, and just dumped me in there with the spare tire. A box of tools jabbed me so hard in the back I thought it had punctured the skin. Pretty sure I have a really good bruise from that." Kurt winced, as he recalled the pain.

"They drove me out to a little place on the edge of town. I figured they would let me out, and the worst that would happen would be that I had to walk home. I had no idea what they were planning." A choked sob ripped through the air, as Kurt fought desperately to keep some semblance of composure.

"They beat me up, Blaine." Blaine drew in a soft gasp, pressing his side close to the boy next to him, trying to convey how deeply sorry he was that this had happened to Kurt.

"They didn't hit me anywhere where it would show, of course. They left my face and hands alone…" Blaine thought back to last night when he was helping Kurt shower, and gasped. Now that he thought back on it, he realised that Kurt's body had been covered in bruises when he had lifted him up. How could he have not realised what had happened? Blaine berated himself quietly, while trying hopelessly to continue listening to Kurt talk.

"Don't…" Blaine's eyes met Kurt's, and he gave an involuntary shudder at the haunted, nearly dead look in Kurt's eyes. "Don't be ashamed that you didn't notice them last night, Blaine. I tried to cover them up as best I could with make-up, once I got away." Blaine's eyes began filling with tears as well, and Kurt reached over and wiped away a stray tear that traced down Blaine's cheek.

"Once I finally got away, I began to walk. I had no clue where I was going, or what I was going to do once I got there. The assholes had stolen my phone, my shoes, my bag, and all I had left were the torn and dirty clothes on my back. I didn't even have money to call my dad to come get me. And I wouldn't have anyway. With him being sick, I have to protect him, and how can I do that if I come home looking like that?" Kurt turned pain filled eyes to Blaine, silently begging him to understand. Blaine nodded softly, knowing all too well the pain of trying to take care of someone else while not allowing them to see how much pain you're truly in.

"So I kept walking. I'm not sure how long I had been walking before I came across the building where you found me. Hours, but it felt like days. Nothing made sense anymore, and everything was becoming blurry. When you found me, I was on the verge of passing out, did you know that?" Kurt asked softly, looking into Blaine's eyes.

Blaine nodded gently. "I suspected as much, when you passed out so quickly in the car. I let you sleep because I figured you needed it so badly."

"I did…" Kurt replied. "And when you brought me here, it was all still mostly in a dream. I couldn't understand why I was dreaming of a big, beautiful building with some of the most amazing furnishings I had ever seen. And a boy…" Kurt trailed off, embarrassed. He had been about to say 'and a boy so gorgeous that I could have fallen in love with him at first sight'. But Kurt kept his mouth shut for that little tidbit of information.

"Kurt…" Blaine began, after several minutes of silence. "You have to tell the police." Kurt's eyes widened, and his hands began to shake, as his head began to twist from side to side.

"N-No! If I do… do you know what they'll do to me?" Kurt hissed. "They'll KILL me, Blaine! No! I have to stick around… I'll just… I don't know… drop out of school. Stop going… stay home and take care of my dad and Carol." Kurt was working himself into a panic, his hands wringing and his whole body shaking with the force of his panic.

"Kurt!" Blaine had to shout to be heard over Kurt's monologue. He wrapped his arms around the taller boy, pressing his forehead against Kurt's in an attempt to calm him. After a couple of shuddering breaths, Kurt turned his sea foam blue eyes on Blaine.

"Kurt. I understand that you're scared." Blaine continued calmly, his soothing voice helping Kurt to resist the panic flowing through his veins. "But if you don't tell the police, that means that these kids, these horrible people, will get away with what they've done. And that can't happen, Kurt. Because the next time, their victim might not be so lucky, Kurt." Blaine took Kurt's face in his hands, cupping his cheeks and looking deep into Kurt's eyes. "The next time, they might just kill their victim." Kurt began trembling again. "Kurt. You have to tell the police. You have to save the next person from becoming a victim too. If you stop this now, no one else needs to get hurt." Blaine took a chance, and leaned forward, ever so slightly. His lips grazed Kurt's right cheek softly; so softly that Kurt nearly missed it. Pulling back gently, Blaine repeated the action for Kurt's left cheek. Then with the softest touch Blaine had ever made, he leaned forward and placed a tiny kiss, right on Kurt's lips. It was barely even a kiss, really. Blaine pulled back, as shock, wonder and a touch of hope fluttered across Kurt's face. Placing his forehead back against Kurt's, Blaine closed his eyes.

What are you doing, you idiot? Blaine thought to himself. "Kurt's so vulnerable right now, why the hell did you kiss him? Blaine continued berating himself mentally, while waiting for Kurt to decide what he was going to do.

"You're right," Kurt breathed softly, and Blaine's eyes popped open to see Kurt staring in him with that sense of wonder in his eyes. "I have to protect others from this. Thank you…" Kurt drew in a shaky breath. "Blaine… w-why did you kiss me?" And Kurt withdrew his head from Blaine's, his fingers pressing gently again his lips as though it had been a figment of his imagination.

Blaine laughed quietly. "Because, my dear Kurt. I knew you needed strength. I knew you needed courage. And even though it wasn't the only way that I could show you that you had it, I thought it was… well…the best way I knew how." Blaine blushed again. "And because I think you're beautiful, Kurt. Incredible. Amazing. You… well, you move me. In here," And Blaine placed Kurt's hand over his rapidly beating heart.

Kurt's face flushed softly, and a smile crept up to rest unconsciously on his face. Kurt was the one to lean forward this time, smiling all the while, and he kissed Blaine passionately. No further words were needed.


	6. Chapter 6

Well, a bit of a warning for language. Not a huge warning though. Only twice I believe. I've been so obsessed with this fic. I simply cannot get it out of my head fast enough. I seem to be able to post two chapters a day for the last 3 days, but I don't hold hope that that could continue. Eventually I'll have to wrap it up, but for now I still have a couple more ideas for Kurt and Blaine. I hope you guys like it. Thanks again to Addie and Stevie. As always, not mine.

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><p>Kurt was hyperventilating madly, as Blaine drove them to the police station in Lima. He had contacted the police, asking what the best way of going about reporting an assault would be, especially as it had been the day before.<p>

He had been advised the best thing would be to come down to the police station, and provide a statement, as well as have pictures taken to document the evidence.

Blaine reached across the centre console of the sedan, grasping onto Kurt's hand and squeezing gently. Looking over at his friend, he took in the shaking, the silent tears and the grimace on Kurt's face. He knew Kurt was reliving the trauma of the previous day, and knew that it was only going to get worse since he had to relate it all to the police.

They pulled up to the police station, and Kurt had a full-blown panic attack in the car.

"I can't! Blaine, I can't! Please don't make me! PLEASE!" Kurt sobbed, as Blaine got out of the car and ran over to Kurt's side, yanking the door open and pulling Kurt into his arms for a hug.

"You can DO this, Kurt. I believe in you, I care about you, I love you…" Blaine trailed off as he realised what he had said. Maybe Kurt hadn't heard him, as his face was still pressed into Blaine's neck, his tears soaking Blaine's shirt. As Kurt gasped softly, Blaine realised that he had no such luck.

"You…. You LOVE me?" Kurt pulled back gently, his red-rimmed eyes searching Blaine's for any sign of hesitation. Blaine sighed softly, resting his forehead once again against Kurt's and confirmed it: "Yes, Kurt. I do." Pulling his friend up from the car, he made sure the door was locked and they entered the building together, arms wrapped around each other for warmth and comfort.

Blaine spoke softly to the officer at the front desk, advising him why they were there, and was told to wait for an available officer to take Kurt's statement.

After fifteen minutes, a tall, muscled, male officer walked towards them.

"Kurt Hummel?" Kurt nodded softly as he and Blaine stood up. "You'll have to stay here," the officer told Blaine. Kurt's eyes widened so far that Blaine was afraid they would fall out of his head, and Kurt clutched Blaine's arm so hard he nearly cut off circulation.

"No!" The high-pitched squeak that came out of Kurt's mouth surprised both Blaine and the officer. Marshalling all his courage, Kurt cleared his throat and continued. "Please," He stated in a more normal tone of voice. "Please can't Blaine come with me? I really, really want him to… He knows the whole story, I told him already… He's kind of my rock right now… I can't do this without him!" Kurt blurted out quickly.

The officer's eyes widened, and the soft look that came into his eyes told Blaine that he had seen this type of trauma before. "All right," The officer said kindly. Why don't you come with me, and we'll start by taking pictures of the bruises left by your attackers, okay?" Kurt nodded, shame colouring his face and he bowed his head in embarrassment, while following the officer down the hallway.

Blaine squeezed Kurt's hand, sending comfort to the other boy, and walked silently down the hallway with them.

After the pictures had been taken (and Kurt had had to be calmed down three times while the pictures were being taken), they both sat in a tiny room with a table, and a recording device. The officer, whose name was Gravelle, began by asking Kurt to write down his experiences on a piece of paper. While Kurt was doing that, he asked Blaine if he would follow him out to the hallway to speak with him alone. After giving Kurt a quick squeeze on the shoulder for reassurance, he followed the officer into the hallway, making sure to close the door behind him.

The officer looked through the window at Kurt, shaking his head softly. Turning to Blaine, he began asking a few questions.

"The whole point of me getting you out of there, Mr. Anderson, is so that Kurt can tell us, in his own words, what happened to him during the attack. What I need to know from you is how you fit into all of this. Have you and Mr. Hummel been friends for a long time?" Blaine blinked at the officer, and looked in fondly at Kurt.

"No sir. Actually, I only met him yesterday." The officer raised an eyebrow, looking for an explanation.

"I was walking down the street with some friends. We were headed out for dinner. We all attend Dalton Academy for boys in Westerville." He looked at the officer to confirm that he knew what Blaine was talking about.

"I heard a soft sound from around me, and it was like, it went right through me. I can't describe why, but I had to discover who was making such a distressing sound." Blaine turned back to the officer, his eyes wide and bright with unshed tears. "Kurt was standing there, right in front of me, and it was like I had been transported back to when I went to public school again. But at the same time, it was different. Kurt was strong, he never let those assholes break his spirit. I was weak. I left, transferred to Dalton. Ran away like a scared child." Blaine's eyes returned to Kurt, gazing at him through the window.

"I couldn't stand there and watch someone else hurt like I did. So I told him who I was, and brought him home, to Dalton, and tried to take care of him myself." He blinked again, as a single tear followed a path down his face.

"Once he had told me what had happened, I convinced him to tell the police. He was really scared. He didn't want to be here, and I dragged him here and forced him!" Blaine swept a hand through his unruly hair, his breath catching in his throat as he tried to control himself in front of the officer, who was looking at him with sympathy in his eyes.

"It's the best thing, that you brought him here." Officer Gravelle murmured softly, while he stared at Kurt through the window. Kurt had put down the pen, and was using the tissues on the table to wipe his eyes and blow his nose. "He needs to know that you're here for him, and he needs to have these jerks dealt with." Blaine looked at the officer curiously.

"Aren't you supposed to be impartial?" Blaine asked.

"Usually I am. But I've seen what kind of shit kids can do to one another," The officer ran his hand through his hair. "The more we can put a stop to it while they are still young, the better chances they have of actually making it through high school." It took Blaine a moment, but he realised the officer was talking about the victims, not the aggressors.

The officer and Blaine spoke quietly for a couple of more minutes, then returned to the room together.

Kurt slid the paper across the table to the officer. Then as Blaine watched carefully, holding Kurt's hand the entire time, the officer asked questions of Kurt about what had happened. Kurt responded reluctantly, and every time that he was uncomfortable with a question, he looked to Blaine for reassurance. At those moments, Blaine simply squeezed Kurt's hand, and Kurt continued answering questions. This went on for over two hours.

By the time they were finished, both Kurt and Blaine were exhausted, physically and emotionally. The officer allowed them to leave, after getting contact numbers for them both, including Kurt's family. Kurt had had a hard time with that, as the officer had advised them that since Kurt was a minor, they had to contact his father and advise him of the situation.

Kurt almost ran out, right then and there, but stayed after the officer told him he would be contacting his father anyway. It was against the law for the police to withhold this information from a parent or legal guardian. He did promise to break it as gently as possible to Kurt family, though.

After they left, it was closer to dinner than lunch, so Blaine offered to take Kurt out for dinner, before heading back to Dalton. Kurt was subdued, his mind going over everything he had gone through since yesterday, and agreed simply to get Blaine to be quiet.

Blaine looked over at Kurt in the car, and made a mental note to get him to open up a bit more once they got to the restaurant.

They drove around for a bit, Blaine waiting for Kurt to start talking again.

"Blaine?" Kurt began. He turned from looking out the window to stare at Blaine.

"Yeah, Kurt?" Blaine looked back at him, his eyes conveying that he would do anything for his friend right now.

"C-can you t-take me… home?" Kurt's eyes welled up again, as he tried to hide the emotions.

"Of course, Kurt. Are you sure you don't want something to eat first?" Blaine asked softly. Kurt shook his head gently. "I just want to see my dad. Make sure he's okay."

Blaine got the address from Kurt, and they drove over to Kurt's house. They parked on the street in front of the house, as the driveway was full.

As Kurt and Blaine got out of the car, they heard the front door slam, and Kurt flinched at the loud noise. Blaine rushed around the car to Kurt's side, and slipped his hand into Kurt's.

Burt, Carol and Kurt's step brother Finn all rushed out of the house, and surrounded the two boys. There were tears all around, and hugs between everyone and Kurt.

"Kurt, sweetie, we were so worried," Carol burst out, as she wrapped her arms around Kurt and held him close.

"Kiddo, why didn't you call me? I would have picked you up. I would have been there," Burt's sobs were almost as strong as Kurt's. "I wish you had called me…"

"Or me," Finn chimed in. "I would have been there, dude. Like, in a heartbeat for you. And do you know the rest of glee is going crazy looking for you? I have to send a text to everyone to let them know you're okay…" With that, Finn took out his cell, and started creating a mass text to send to his friends.

Throughout the entire grilling by his parents and Finn, Kurt had never let go of Blaine's hand, so he was forcibly drawn into the house with everyone else when they drew Kurt inside.

"Dad, Carol, Finn," Kurt stated when he was sufficiently composed. He looked over at Blaine, and gave a small squeeze, and then continued. "This is Blaine. He's, well, he's kind of been my guardian angel the last couple of days." Smiling softly, Kurt watched the flush as it crept up Blaine's neck. "He found me yesterday, and brought me somewhere safe. To his school, over in Westerville. It's called Dalton Academy, and it was amazing."

Burt coughed gently, placing a large hand squarely on Blaine's shoulder, and giving it a small squeeze. "I can't thank you enough, Blaine. To look after my boy, when you didn't have to, and I couldn't," Burt wiped his suddenly damp eyes. Carol swept Blaine up into a hug, her arms strong and gentle and Blaine couldn't think of a better hug, unless it was from Kurt himself.

"Thank you so much, sweetie." Carol whispered in his ear, as she planted a soft kiss on his cheek.

As she released him, Finn clasped Blaine's hand, being less demonstrative with another guy than his mom or Burt.

"Yeah, man. Thanks. Like, you're cool, dude. Dunno what Kurt would've done without you." Blaine's face was now completely red, and he scuffed his shoes quietly on the rug.

"I didn't do anything. I just helped someone in trouble. And…" And he looked over at Kurt with such naked longing in his eyes, that he didn't even remember to finish his sentence. Burt saw the look, and his eyes narrowed slightly, his protectiveness falling naturally into place.

"Kurt, can I talk to you? Alone? Please?" Burt asked, turning to his son, and Kurt nodded softly.

Blaine reached over and gave Kurt a quiet hug, his hands releasing Kurt reluctantly. Kurt looked Blaine in the eyes, his courage shining through in the look he gave Blaine, and he followed his dad downstairs into his basement bedroom.

Carol watched the look on Blaine's face, as he watched Kurt go. Nodding softly to herself, she called out to Blaine.

"Blaine, sweetie, would you be willing to help me in the kitchen? I'd ask Finn, but he's so much better at eating than cooking."

"Hey!" Finn looked slightly put out, but Blaine smiled charmingly, and tried to concentrate on helping Carol make dinner, instead of the beautiful boy who was no doubt crying brokenheartedly in the basement.


	7. Chapter 7

Wow. Already chapter 7. It's been weird. I don't know if anyone has actually been reading this. Probably not. But it seems like I simply can't stop.

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><p>Burt led Kurt down into the basement, his eyes sweeping randomly over the décor that Kurt had saved up all of his allowance and his work money to pay for. Turning around, Burt watched Kurt slip onto his armchair, sideways, as though him sitting on the chair properly was just too much work.<p>

"Kurt. Kiddo, you know I love you right?" Burt began, crossing his arms and leaning back against the trunk located at the foot of Kurt's bed.

Looking at his father, Kurt passed a weary hand over his face, and replied, "Yes Dad. I know." Looking up at his father, Kurt thought he saw a flicker of a smile showing through Burt stoic expression. He gave a tentative smile.

"Son, Carol and I were so worried about you." And Burt's breath hitched in his throat. He coughed to clear it, and continued. "I wish you had come to me, Kurt." And Burt's face fell in disappointment. "I understand that you didn't want to worry me, kid, but you have to know that I never want to see you get hurt!" Burt's voice was gruff with the struggle of holding back emotion.

"Dad," Kurt's eyes filled with tears, as they had so many times over the past two days. "Dad, I love you. But, to put it simply, you're sick. And I never, ever want to be the cause of you ending up in the hospital!" And Kurt's eyes spilled over. Jumping up, Kurt latched onto his father, arms thrown around him, his face buried in his father's chest.

Burt held his son quietly, as tears streamed down both their faces. Placing a soft knuckle under his son's chin, he lifted Kurt's chin so that he could look him in the eyes.

"You nearly did that yesterday, kiddo." Kurt gasped, his hand flying to cover his mouth. "When we couldn't find you after school, I panicked. I called every single one of your friends, I called the hospital, and the police station. Carol and I," And Burt's voice faltered, the tears continuing to stream down his cheeks. "We drove, all night, around the neighbourhood, looking for you. Finn and your friends did too. Mercedes, she was nearly as panicked as I was."

Kurt trembled like a leaf, even though he knew he was safe in his fathers' arms.

"I don't want to ever have to go through anything like that again, Kurt." And Burt pulled his son away gently, and stared him straight in the eyes. "Promise me, right now, that if anything like that EVER happens to you again, you'll come to me, straight away, so we can fix it together." Kurt's shoulders shook in Burt's hands, and he seemed to crumple in on himself.

"Okay, Dad. I promise." And Kurt sounded so broken, and so forlorn, that Burt pulled him back in for another hug, rubbing soothing circles into Kurt's back just as he had when Kurt had been little.

"Now, son, tell me about this boy you've brought home." Burt allowed Kurt to pull away, and they sat together on the bed while Kurt told his father about Blaine.

Carol poked her head around the corner of the open door, and called softly "Dinner's ready, boys." Kurt's tears had dried, Burt wasn't so upset anymore, and they had talked about Blaine, so Kurt was beginning to cheer up.

After a soft hair tousle from his father, which he immediately slapped away with his best 'Don't even go there' look, Kurt and Burt made their way upstairs. They were greeted with Finn already sitting at the table, Carol hovering nervously in the kitchen, and Blaine waiting patiently for them, standing behind his chair.

"Come _on_," muttered Finn, looking disgustedly at Blaine, then at the other two men in the room. "He wouldn't sit down until you guys showed up! Hurry! I'm _starving!_" Burt chuckled, Kurt raised an eyebrow at Finn, and Blaine simply responded with, "Wrong again, Finn."

Finn's head jerked up, and a low moan erupted from his throat. "What do you mean, _wrong_?"

Blaine chuckled softly. "I was brought up never to take a seat while a lady still stands," And he waved his hand to Carol, who blushed and giggled slightly.

Finn turned pink, and he groaned into his hands, which were now covering his face. "Oh God, I'm _never_ gonna get to eat. I'm going to starve, and waste away to _nothing_, that's what!" Everyone around the room burst into laughter at Finn's predicament, and Carol called out over the sound of the fading laughter.

"Blaine, honey, just you sit down, and I'll have everything at the table in a minute. We don't stand on ceremony here." And she returned to the kitchen, while all the men sat down around the table. Kurt and Blaine were side by side, across from Finn. Burt had one end of the table, and Carol sat at the other. As Carol brought out the potatoes and placed them on the table, there was a knock at the door.

Finn jumped about a foot in the air, turned several shades of pink and purple, and ran to open the door, muttering something along the lines of "Oh crap, I forgot," under his breath as he went.

Kurt and Blaine just looked at each other and smiled. Oh the craziness of Finn, Kurt thought to himself.

Finn returned, and behind him came the rest of Kurt's glee club friends.

"Oh, Mr. and Mrs. Hummel, we just wanted to check on Kurt and make sure he was okay," said the petite girl with brown hair, wearing a skirt and _oh my god,_ was that a _reindeer sweater_? Blaine blinked in surprise, as Kurt rose from the table and dashed to the group.

"That's all right, Rachel. I know you guys were worried about him." Burt replied, with a twinkle in his eyes.

"We didn't mean to interrupt your dinner, Kurt," said the black girl with the amazing smile. "But after everything that's happened the last couple of days, we had to make sure you were all right. Why the hell didn't you call me, white boy?" And the sass that came out of that mouth made Blaine want to laugh uproariously, seeing as it made Kurt blush fiercely.

"I couldn't, Mercedes. W-when I was gone…" And here Kurt pulled his hand through his hair unconsciously, and stared at her as though begging her to forgive him. "Well, my cell phone was stolen, along with my money and my dignity." Kurt attempted to laugh it off, while the members of his glee club looked uncomfortable. One boy, with a mohawk, stepped forward, planting his solid hand on Kurt's shoulder.

"You'll never lose your dignity, man," the boy proclaimed. "You'll have that forever, 'cause that's just a part of who you are." Then he turned to the others in the group. "Right, we've seen he's fine, so let blow this popsicle stand, and head out." Turning back, he clamped his arm around Kurt's shoulder, giving him a sort-of hug. Then as each of the others in the group stepped forward for a quick hug from Kurt, he guided them to the door and shoved each one outside.

Once the last group member was outside, the mohawk-headed boy turned, gave a small salute to the family inside, and shut the door behind him.

"Bye, Puck!" Kurt called out. Shaking his head as he resumed his seat, Kurt muttered under his breath "And thanks for everything."

Burt coughed softly, his eyes darting to his son, and then proceeded to grab the bowl of potatoes.


	8. Chapter 8

Hehe. I laughed at Finn while writing this. Like, literally laughed. You'll see why. I really really like this story. I hope you do too. If you feel so inclined, tell me about it.

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><p>When the alarm buzzed the next morning, Friday, Kurt groaned softly and rolled over in his bed. Six-thirty A.M. Peering blearily at the time, he reached out a hand to still the alarm, his mind still sleep-fuzzed.<p>

"Hey," called a soft voice from across his room. Kurt emitted a small noise (no he did not yelp, thank you very much) and rolled over to see Blaine leaning up from his position on the couch in Kurt's room, rubbing his eyes and yawning.

"Morning," Kurt replied softly, his hand running through the mess of hair on his head, and flopping back down on his pillow.

Just then, Burt called from the top of the basement stairs. "Go back to sleep Kurt. You're not going to school today after what happened. Blaine, it's up to you if you want to drive all the way back to Dalton this morning, but if you decide to stay, you're welcome to go back to sleep too." And with that little proclamation, Burt disappeared from the doorway. Kurt sat up in bed, and looked over at Blaine.

"What do you think?" Kurt asked softly, his mind racing as he tried not to think of Blaine and how _good_ he looked in a pair of Finn's pyjamas.

Swinging his legs over the side of the couch, Blaine made to stand, but fell back onto the couch, chuckling softly.

"Well, I can't sleep anymore," He began, throwing a look at Kurt which was faintly amused. "But I'm not really in the mood for going back to Dalton yet, either. Mind if I hang out with you, instead?" Blaine cocked an eyebrow as he asked, wondering slightly if he was pushing Kurt a bit too much.

Kurt's face broke out in one of the biggest grins Blaine had ever seen, and he tentatively returned it.

"I think that would be a great idea, Blaine!" Kurt gushed. "I can take you around town, show you some of the great places I like to go, and…" Kurt's face fell slightly as he though back to what had happened the other day. "…and maybe if I'm with someone else no one will bother me." Blaine blinked, took in the frustrated, unhappy face of the boy on the bed, and walked over to his side. Tilting his head to the side, he silently asked for permission to clamber up onto the bed. Kurt nodded softly, his cheeks turning a lovely pink colour as Blaine climbed up, making a small nest on top of the blankets and making himself comfortable.

"Kurt. Kurt look at me," Blaine said, his eyes fixing on Kurt's, a sad smile on his face. "I promised I would never allow anything like that to happen to you, ever again, and I mean to keep that promise, okay?" He lifted Kurt's chin a little, so he could stare into Kurt's beautiful eyes. A single tear slipped quietly down Kurt's cheek, and Blaine thumbed it away gently, his body unconsciously leaning forward as he felt the attraction of the taller boy. He rested his forehead against Kurt's, his arm clasped gently around Kurt's shoulders, and his breath hitched as he realised that all he could feel, smell, and see was Kurt. Oh, how he wished that he could taste him again!

Kurt, it seemed, felt the same, as his breath started coming faster, and he leaned into Blaine's touch. Lifting his head to look into the other boy's eyes, Kurt took the initiative, and leaned forward slowly. He pressed his lips against Blaine's, starting out softly, hesitantly. Blaine's eyes closed, and he simply savoured the taste and touch of Kurt's lips on his. Kurt was kissing him!

Kurt slowly slipped his arms up around Blaine's shoulders, clasping them around his neck as he deepened the kiss. Blaine's hands went to Kurt's waist, tugging him very gently closer to him.

"Um, Excuse me," came a nervous voice from the doorway. Kurt and Blaine pulled apart quickly, both blushing a deep crimson as they looked in unison at the door. Finn stood there, also a deep red colour, and wringing his hands.

"Um, Kurt, mom said to tell you guys that breakfast is nearly ready. Um… yeah." And with that declaration, Finn turned on his heel and left the room as quickly as possible.

Kurt looked over at Blaine, his cheeks still flushed, and released a sigh. Well, at least it hadn't been his father at the door.

"At least it wasn't your dad," Blaine chuckled softly, echoing Kurt's thoughts.

"How do you do that?" Kurt asked shyly, his eyes finding and holding Blaine's as he looked at him curiously.

"Do what?" Blaine replied, his eyebrow cocking again as he took in the shy look on Kurt's face.

"Know what I'm thinking before I say it," Kurt responded, another flush of crimson sliding over his cheeks, and he looked down at his hands, which were now clasped in his lap.

"I'm not sure," Blaine answered softly. "But I do know that if we don't get up there soon, your dad will be the next one down the stairs, and, honestly, I'm a little afraid of what he might do to me." Blaine laughed, and Kurt chuckled quietly. Taking Kurt's hand and ignoring the fact that they were both in their pyjamas, Blaine pulled Kurt up off the bed and raced him upstairs to the dining table.

As they arrived, Blaine took in Carol at the stove, and Finn at the table, and Burt standing watching the news on TV from the doorway to the kitchen.

"Supposed to be a nice day today," Burt mentioned casually, in passing. Flicking the remote, he turned off the TV, and sat down at the table with the rest of the boys. Carol brought out bacon, toast, pancakes with syrup, and enough sausages to feed an army, as well as orange juice and coffee.

"Wow, Carol," Blaine smiled. "When you make a meal, you really make a meal, don't you? This looks amazing!"

Carol blushed deeply, and laughed softly. "Well, Finn never settled for the usual milk and cereal type of breakfast." She smiled at the boy, who was busy filling his plate in ecstasy. "He always had to have a hot breakfast, something filling, so I just learned to make a lot of food." She laughed again, as Finn's blush crept up his neck.

"Moooom…." Finn grumbled, as everyone else laughed.

After breakfast, Blaine helped Carol with the dishes, Finn got ready for school, and Burt got ready for work. Kurt retired to his bedroom to look at magazines and wait for Blaine to come back downstairs.

When Blaine arrived, Kurt was just finishing up his moisturising routine. Looking over at the other boy, he gave a tremulous smile.

"So, is there anywhere in particular you would like to go, today, Blaine?" Kurt asked softly.

Blaine looked over at Kurt, his smile reaching up his cheeks and making his eyes crinkle in the way that Kurt found absolutely adorable.

"I'll leave that up to you."

Since Kurt's cell phone had been stolen, he had to go to the store and pick out a new one. Since he was due for an upgrade anyway, it wouldn't cost much, but he was really bemoaning the loss of his contacts, not to mention all of the pictures, videos and games he had put on the phone.

They stopped at the mall, Kurt's eyes going wide as he tried not to tremble getting out of his Navigator.

Blaine took in the nervous posture, and quickly pulled Kurt close to him in a hug, which Kurt returned with fervour.

"Thanks," Kurt murmured when the shaking subsided to the point that he could walk inside without getting upset.

"Don't mention it," Blaine offered, as he twined his fingers with Kurt's, giving him support and love through that simple gesture.

Kurt looked over at Blaine, his mind whirling through a billion different thoughts all at once. Just two days ago, he had been beaten, roughed up, because of what he was. What he supposedly chose to be.

But here was a boy, who actually liked him. Him, Kurt Hummel. And that boy had also saved his life. Because Kurt knew, _knew_, that if he had passed out before Blaine had found him, then someone would have come along and killed him. Of this, he was dead certain. And that scared the living daylights out of Kurt.

So, together with the boy he loved, and had loved for a total of two days, he walked into the mall. He wasn't fearless with Blaine by his side, but he might as well have been. Because no matter what anyone did to him, no one would never be able to take away the love that the two boys shared. And that was worth more than all the stars in the sky, all the diamonds in the earth, all the shells in the ocean.

Blaine held the door open for Kurt, and together they wandered the mall for quite some time. Not talking much, not communicating in any form, really. But both taking comfort from the fact that the other was there.

And loving every moment spent together.


	9. Chapter 9

Fluff. Pure, simple, sweet fluff. Oh, and some emarrassment. And I apologise if I happen to be missing any letter T's in my fic. My computer suddenly decided it didn't like that letter and refuses to post it sometimes. I'm pretty good about going back though and checking, but if I missed one, I'm sorry! XD

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><p>Kurt blinked at the boy sitting opposite him in the booth at the Lima Bean. <em>I mean, really!<em> Was the only thought that came to him, as he sat there, contemplating what Blaine had just told him.

"Are you certain?" He asked hesitantly, as though fearing what the answer would be.

"Yes, Kurt. I'm absolutely positive. And my parents will be there too, so your family doesn't have to worry about you being around me unchaperoned. At least, that's what my mother thinks…" And Blaine waggled his eyebrows at Kurt, earning him a quick laugh and a grin from the boy across from him.

"Well… all right." Kurt blushed, and giggled slightly. "If your parents don't think I'll be a bother, I'd love to come with you to California. I've never been out of Ohio, and it would be nice to see some more of the world than I have so far." Tucking his hair behind his ear, Kurt smoothed down his bangs, which Blaine had learned to interpret as one of Kurt's nervous gestures.

"No, they won't see you as a bother, I promise. I've… well, I've kind of been gushing about you to them on our weekly calls." And with this confession, it was Blaine's turn to blush fiercely.

Kurt blinked again. "Oh. I… see." And promptly blushed again.

It had been a little over two weeks since Blaine had saved Kurt. They had spent almost all of their time together, either or both of them driving to meet the other. They had enjoyed quiet dinners together, saw movies together, had even, god forbid, managed to go to a party that was being put on by Rachel, the petite brunette that had been in that horrible reindeer sweater when Blaine had first met Kurt's family.

They were starting to become more comfortable with each other, the newness of being boyfriends (_boyfriends!) _wearing off, and just becoming easy around each other.

Kurt licked his lips, and Blaine's eyes traced them, unknowingly licking his lips as well.

"Gushing, you say." And Kurt's beautiful mouth was drawn up in the most gorgeous, amazing smile Blaine had ever seen. If that smile could have been harnessed, it would have been able to power the world for three days, at least, Blaine thought to himself.

Blushing again, Blaine replied, "Well, yes. Gushing. At least, that's the word my mother insists on using. I don't know if it really would be, considering…" Blaine trailed off as Kurt slipped out of his seat, and slid in beside him. Pressing his lips softly to Blaine's, he snuggled closer, wrapping his arms around the man he loved.

"I love the fact that you … gush… about me. It makes me feel special… and wanted." Kurt rested his forehead against Blaine's neck, his ear pressed into the solid shoulder next to him.

Chuckling softly, Blaine pressed a tender kiss into Kurt's hair, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend and letting him snuggle. Glancing around at a sudden noise, Blaine noticed a group of jocks entering the Lima Bean, and felt his heart jump. Were these some of the guys that had beaten up his Kurt?

Kurt lifted his head from Blaine's shoulder when he realised Blaine had gone very tense. Looking around, he noticed the jocks as well. He gave a little cry, which startled Blaine, and made him tighten his hold around Kurt.

"Guys! Over here!" Kurt called, making room in the booth for the boys that grinned when they made their way over.

Relaxing slightly, Blaine managed to recognise Finn, Kurt's step-brother. He also recognised mohawk-boy, whose name Blaine simply could not remember, even though he had been told previously, but the other two boys were complete strangers, weren't they?

"Blaine, you know Finn and Puck," Right, that was mohawk-boy. Gotta remember that next time… Blaine thought to himself. "This is Sam," Kurt motioned to the blond headed kid with the Texan accent. "And Mike." The skinny Asian kid nodded at Blaine, before jumping up to grab himself and his friends their coffees.

"Nice to officially meet you guys. I know we kind of met at Rachel's party, but I'm afraid I don't really remember much of that night," Blaine laughed ruefully.

"No problem, dude." Sam commented offhandedly. "By the time that night was done, the only ones not smashed were Kurt and Finn. I'd say it was a pretty slamming party." And he grinned widely at Blaine, then jumped up to help Mike with the drinks.

Blaine ran his hand through his hair, which was sadly lacking in hair gel, and running amok with curls everywhere, much to his chagrin. "Yeah, well, since I woke up in Kurt's bed, I'd say I had a fairly good time too."

The table went silent. Blaine looked up from his coffee to see everyone staring at him, eyes wide, mouths open in shock. Then he realised exactly what he had said.

Blushing a deep crimson, he stumbled over his next words.

"What I mean is, um… oh god… kill me now…" Sam, Mike and Puck all started grinning madly, Finn looked uncomfortable, and Kurt looked absolutely mortified.

"Nothing happened!" Blurted Blaine, as his blush deepened, looking frantically around at the faces staring at him.

"Sure, sure," Puck replied casually. "Just glad to know our Kurtie here has been up to absolutely...nothing!" And three of the boys promptly burst into laughter, taking in the crimson faces of Blaine, Kurt and Finn.

"Okay, Blaine… I think that's quite enough of you talking to these jerks…" Kurt stated. He pulled Blaine up from his chair, both of them still crimson faced, and gave a little wave toward the guys they were leaving behind.

"By Kurtsie!" Puck called out, as Kurt and Blaine went through the front door. "Don't forget to do… nothing!" And the sound of their laughter was cut off by the door closing behind Kurt and Blaine.

"Sorry about that…" Blaine commented softly. Kurt ducked his head down, biting his lip, and Blaine worried that Kurt might be crying. "Babe… Hey, please don't be upset…" Blaine wrapped his arm around Kurt's shoulder, feeling him shaking softly. Kurt looked up at Blaine, tears in his eyes, and he couldn't contain himself anymore. He started laughing uproariously.

It was Blaine's turn to blink, thinking he may have got in a bit over his head if his boyfriend was cracking up so early in their relationship. Then a grin began to blossom on his face, and he began to chuckle as well.

"D-Did you see the l-look on their f-faces?" Kurt giggled, holding his stomach as he laughed. "I w-wish I'd had a c-camera!" And the tears sliding slowly down Kurt's cheeks were the most beautiful thing Blaine had ever seen, because Kurt was laughing with JOY.

"And the look on Finn's face when he heard, it was _priceless!_" Blaine added, his giggles erupting and setting Kurt off again.

They laughed the entire walk home from the Lima Bean, but bypassed Kurt's house to wander over to the elementary school playground on the next block. Once there, they gave up the giggles, and just sat quietly, next to each other on the swings, enjoying each other's presence.

"Bet I can swing higher than you," Blaine murmured, not wanting to relinquish the boy he had fallen so hopelessly in love with just yet.

"Bet you can't," Kurt retorted. "I'm skinnier than you. That means, more height, and faster too." He began pumping his legs crazily, obtaining a fair height in a relatively short period of time.

"Ahhh, but see I'm more muscular than you," Blaine called, his legs beginning to pump just as wildly, as he built up momentum to try to keep up with Kurt. "That means I can pump harder than you, and attain greater height!"

The two boys laughed wildly as they got higher and higher, their whoops catching the attention of a janitor for the school. He looked over at the boys, doing their level best to outdo each other, and having a grand old time doing it. He leaned against the wall, forgoing the task of taking out the trash for the moment, and just revelling in the joy and excitement of the two youngsters playing together. Even though they were teenagers, they had lost none of the joy of childhood in his eyes, and he was torn between leaving them be and telling them to never lose that sense of wonder.

In the end, he chose to keep his thoughts to himself, and simply watched them be together for a good hour.

When he went home that night, he held his partner tightly, kissing him gently and reminding him of how much he loved him. Then he told the story of the two boys at the school, and how he truly hoped that one day they would be like he himself was; completely happy and in love with the one person in the world that loved him back. His partner cuddled him, and agreed wholeheartedly.


	10. Chapter 10

Some angst in this chapter. But yay! We have a hero!

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><p>"That was an amazing movie!" Kurt gushed, as he and Blaine walked through the lobby, avoiding a big pile of popcorn that had been spilled by a precocious, rambunctious toddler.<p>

"Yeah, not bad…" Blaine replied, a huge grin on his face when Kurt turned to look at him disbelievingly.

"What? Please tell me you're kidding. Blaine? Please?" Kurt whined, earning himself a loud giggle from the other boy.

"All right, it was the culmination of a generation, okay? It was fantastic." Blaine grinned at the boy he loved, wrapping his hand around said boy's wrist, and tugging him into the arcade nearby. Feeding a twenty-dollar bill into the token machine, he collected his tokens, passed Kurt a handful, and started hunting down his favourite game.

"Dang, they've moved all the games around," Blaine muttered, as Kurt followed along behind, smiling.

Blaine turned a corner, and spotted the machine he was looking for. It was surrounded by a group of high school jocks, and he almost missed the soft gasp that came from behind him.

Blaine turned to look at Kurt, who had turned pale, and was shaking gently. Blaine looked back at the group surrounding the machine, and sidled closer to Kurt to talk to him.

"Is that them?" He asked in a low voice. He really didn't need to see the sharp nod that Kurt gave him, as an unidentifiable rage flared up, coursing through his veins. He balled his fists, and took a step towards the group.

Kurt gasped again, and latched onto one of Blaine's arms, holding him back. The group hadn't even noticed the drama going on right behind them.

"Blaine, _don't_!" Kurt hissed softly. "Even if you weren't outnumbered, which you are, I wouldn't want you to get blacklisted from the arcade just because of me…" Blaine turned to Kurt, his eyes flat with suppressed fury.

"It would be worth it to me, Kurt, just to see those, those _assholes_, get what they deserve!" Blaine's voice cracked on the last word, his voice practically sobbing with unbridled anger.

Tears began slipping down Kurt's cheeks, and damn it, why couldn't he stop bloody well crying every damn time he thought of what happened?

Blaine took in his crying boyfriend, and the rage seeped out of him. It was slow, because there was a lot of fury stored up, but he managed to calm himself, for Kurt.

"All right, Kurt. I know you don't want me fighting with them, so let's… let's just go, okay?" He tangled his hand with Kurt's, shoving the tokens back into his pocket for another day.

Kurt's bullies, however, had spotted them, and were making their predatory way over to the boys, cutting them off before they could leave.

"Well, well," One of the bullies, a mean looking brown-haired boy named Jacob commented. "Lookie what we have here, boys…" And he proceeded to laugh like a hyena at what he seemed to think was a very funny situation.

The rest of the Neanderthals laughed too; clearly, they knew they outnumbered Kurt and Blaine, and they were like lions, playing with their food before devouring it.

"So, Hummel, I see you've found yourself a little gay playmate," said the ringleader, Aaron. Blaine tightened his hold on Kurt's hand, trying to offer support while wondering how the hell they were supposed to make it through this.

All the boys around them laughed, their evil cackling drawing the attention of one of the theatre staff.

"Are you guys okay?" The tall, gangly young man asked Kurt, who simply shook his head violently.

"Get out of here, freak," Aaron sneered at the young man, whose nametag read "Jesse". The young man didn't back down, though, and walked purposefully over to where Kurt and Blaine stood. Glaring at the bullies, he gently prodded Kurt and Blaine to start moving towards the door.

"What did I say, you fucking freak?" Aaron screamed at Jesse, as the tall young man walked past him. "What are you, one of those fucking gays too?" He inclined his head toward Kurt and Blaine.

Jesse shook his head, not in denial, but in frustration. Aaron decided he'd had enough, even with this little faggot, they still outnumbered Hummel and his fairy boy almost two to one. Reaching out, he grabbed a hold of Jesse's elbow, spinning him around and punching him in the mouth.

The rest of the theatre lobby went completely silent, as the patrons stared on in shock. Jesse, however, simply placed a hand to his split lip, and looked at the blood coating his fingertips.

Aaron was, to be honest, a little shocked. Usually his punches were enough to knock someone else out, or at least have them on the floor, bawling like a baby. That Jesse was still standing was somewhat of a conundrum, as he had never needed to use more than one punch before.

Jesse's voice was deadly quiet.

"Get out. If you or your friends ever come back in here, I'll have you arrested." He looked at Kurt and Blaine, who were just as shocked as the rest of the patrons who had gathered around.

Aaron looked around at his friends, laughed a little uncomfortably, and said, "You're just a worker here. You don't have the authority to ban me and my friends!" His friends laughed too, but just as uncomfortably as Aaron had.

Then, because Aaron was feeling powerful, and he needed to do something to impress his friends and keep them on his side, he reached out and tried to tweak Jesse's nose, hard.

But Aaron never even came close enough to try, as Jesse's hand snaked out, flipping Aaron's arm around, and twisting it behind his back and up, almost as far as his shoulder blade.

"Ooowwww!" Aaron wailed, his bravado dropped suddenly with the wrenching pain that filled his arm and back. "Help me, guys!" He shouted to his friends.

Jacob ran forward at Jesse, thinking to pull this psycho off his best friend. But by the time Jacob got to Jesse, none other than Kurt Hummel, the little freaky gay kid had tripped him. "Shit," Jacob swore, as his knees crashed into the concrete floor, and the pain shot up his legs and back.

One or two of the other guys started forward, clearly tentative about rescuing their leader.

"Come on, dammit! This hurts!" Aaron yelled, willing his buddies to help him out. Jesse just held Aaron there; Aaron's head and shoulders bent over as Jesse yanked his arm up and back even harder. Yelping loudly, Aaron watched as three of his guys backtracked, leaving him with only Jacob and the two guys who were already advancing. It was starting to seem like a fair fight, which Aaron really wasn't fond of. But he was still sure he could take on three little pansies, if this damn freak would ever let him go.

"Stop," Kurt called out; raising his voice up very loud to be heard over the mutterings of Aaron, the ramblings of the patrons who ringed the fight area, and the bells, whistles and clangs of the arcade games.

Everyone looked at him. Kurt was suddenly the focus of every eye in the room.

"That's enough!" Kurt stated, one hand on his hip, and his head cocked to the side. "I've had it with your bullying, dammit!" He stalked up to Aaron, who was still being held by Jesse. His hand raised as though to strike, and Aaron flinched.

Kurt's eyes softened as he took in the cowering boy before him. He looked around at the other boys, at the patrons around them, and at his boyfriend, Blaine. Blaine's eyes were on him, and courage and pride radiated from those eyes. Taking that courage, he lowered his hand until it rested against Aaron's chest, one finger prodding into the other boy's breastbone.

"You, Aaron, will stop harassing me and my friends." He lifted his pointer finger to the other boys in Aaron's gang. "You, gentlemen, will also stop harassing us. If I _ever_ find out you've harassed anyone else, I WILL take my story to the police. Not only will I go to the police, but I'll go to the newspapers as well. You'll be shunned by every forward thinking person in this town, and don't think I won't do it," Kurt's voice lowered menacingly. "Because you have finally pissed me off enough that I will do ANYTHING at this point to get it to stop. Do I make myself perfectly clear?" And Kurt's eyes glared at each remaining boy, until a confirming nod was received.

Releasing Aaron, Jesse watched in stony silence until all four boys were at the doors, and then called out, "You're still banned. Don't even think about coming back here. Ever!" He turned to the crowd of patrons, who burst into spontaneous applause and cheering. Kurt couldn't decide if they were clapping because of him, or Jesse, or the sheer entertainment value of the confrontation.

Waving the crowd away, Jesse walked over to Kurt and Blaine, his eyes twinkling as he watched them compose themselves.

"You guys okay?" He asked softly, his eyes raking over both Kurt and Blaine. Kurt had started shaking as soon as he had finished his little speech, and Blaine was doing his best to calm him down.

"I'm so sorry you had to go through that," Kurt muttered quietly to Jesse. "Those were some guys who… well, let's just say I hope they stick to their promise and don't harass anyone else."

"Seems like you've had a run in with them before," Jesse replied, just as softly, as he pushed up the sleeve on Kurt's shirt, revealing the purple and yellow bruise that was slowly fading away. "And don't worry about me," Jesse chuckled softly. "I can most certainly take care of myself. I've been studying martial arts since I was seven, and I'm currently a Black Belt in four separate styles of fighting." Blaine's eyes widened, and Kurt gave a soft gasp.

"So, how would you boys like an escort to your car?"


	11. Chapter 11

And here, we meet the Andersons. They are by far the funnest parents I've ever had to write. Also, the only parents I've ever had to write. But still a blast! LOL. BTW - Francis Drake did exist. I had to research him. Look it up! XD

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><p>Kurt stepped onto the runway, his mind still reeling from the fact that he had just flown from Lima, Ohio, to Los Angeles, California, by private jet. Blaine Freaking Anderson had his own <em>private freaking jet<em>.

He, Blaine and Mr. and Mrs. Anderson has left that morning from Lima, and had touched down about 10 minutes ago, on a private airstrip set aside at Los Angeles International Airport, or L.A.X, as Blaine pointed out to him.

Mr. Anderson made sure the bags were placed into the trunk of what Kurt assumed to be the rental car, and motioned everyone to get into the car, opening the door for his wife.

"Don't forget to pick up Eric, Jeff." Mr. Anderson mentioned casually to the rather large black man who stood at attention next to the car. "He won't be happy if you forget him again," Blaine, and both Anderson parents all erupted into giggles, as a slow blush crept up Jeff's face.

"Honestly," He remarked with a foolish grin on his normally stoic face. "You forget a guy once, _once,_ I tell ya…" And he nodded his head, closed the door behind Mr. Anderson, and walked quickly back to his non-descript black Cadillac.

All three Anderson's burst out laughing, and even Kurt giggled a bit. Once they had calmed down, Mr. Anderson pulled out of the airport, heading north on the 405, until they hit the Santa Monica Boulevard, and ending up at a lovely mansion just off of it.

As the gates opened, Kurt blinked softly from the back seat, next to Blaine, who was too busy watching Kurt's reactions to check out the scenery around him.

"So, Kurt," Mrs. Anderson said from the front seat. "How do you like our home?" Kurt gasped gently, his mind whirling frantically.

"But I thought you lived in Westerville?" He managed to croak out. They laughed softly, clearly amused.

"We actually have 4 homes. Well, unless Dad's bought any more?" Blaine questioned the man who was pulling the car to a stop in front of the nicest house Kurt had ever seen, even in movies.

"Hey!" Mr. Anderson frowned. "Just because I bought the lake house without consulting you doesn't mean I'll go out and buy any more. Well, unless I really, really want it… or your mother does…" He added thoughtfully, sending a dazzling smile at his wife, who returned it.

Blaine erupted in more laughter, joined after a moment by his parents and Kurt. Just then Jeff arrived, with a slight, wiry Asian man. They pulled up behind the Cadillac, and Mr. Anderson started pulling bags out of the trunk of the car.

"Sir, you know you're not supposed to be doing that," A soft voice called from the front door, and a short, plump, middle-aged woman toddled out from the front door of the house. She walked briskly down the stairs, taking hold of a couple of the bags and preparing to take them up into the house.

"Now, Mary," Mr. Anderson chided gently, as he removed the bags from her grasp. "I'm more fit to take these up than you are. You only had surgery a few weeks ago, you should be taking it easy." He looked at her critically. "You seem to be doing well, though." Mary blushed softly.

"I am, and thank you, Sir." She turned to Mrs. Anderson and hugged her softly. "Welcome back, Miss." And then she turned to Blaine and Kurt.

"And you, young man, are looking as good as ever!" She pulled Blaine into a tight embrace, patting his back softly and leaving a gentle kiss on his cheek.

"Thanks, Mary," Blaine blushed a rosy pink, and introduced Kurt. "This is Kurt. He's my… well, my everything, really." Mary turned a kind eye to Kurt, pulling him into a gentle hug as well. Stepping back, she surveyed the boys, both quite scarlet at this point. Nodding her head, she grinned.

"And about time, too." Kurt and Blaine both flushed a bit deeper, and Mary turned back to the house, noticing that Mr. Anderson and Jeff had taken all the bags into the house. "Mr. Anderson, you should be letting me do that!" And she took off, as fast as she could, headed inside where her voice was muffled by the distance.

Blaine coughed gently, his blush slowly receding.

"That's Mary. She's been with us for quite a while now. She sometimes comes to Ohio with us, but mostly she prefers to stay here, and make sure the house is taken care of. She has spattergroit," Kurt laughed right out loud, at the Harry Potter reference, interrupting Blaine, who smiled as well.

"Actually, it's a really long disease, whose name I simply can't remember at this particular time. She went for surgery about a month ago, and had to stay in the hospital for a week. That's the week that I was gone on Monday and Tuesday. I wanted to be here for her, since Mom and Dad were overseas. She worried more about me and whether I was going to burn down the house, than herself." He looked at he door, his hand rubbing the back of his neck. "She can be a bit overprotective sometimes, but she was one of the best friends I had growing up." He added fondly. Looking back at Kurt, he saw his boyfriend smiling gently, a whisper of concern and confusion evident in his eyes.

"She was my nanny when I was younger. And since I was a handful, I can't say as I envy her that job." Blaine answered the unspoken question.

"Ahhh," Kurt replied softly. Taking his boyfriend's hand, Blaine led Kurt into the beautiful house, and Kurt took that opportunity to rubberneck and look at everything around him. The house was decorated tastefully, expensive knickknacks placed on random surfaces, with gentle touches of family located around the hall they first stepped in.

On the wall up the staircase, there were family pictures, on the table by the door was a bowl for keys and whatever else was in pockets, and an old fashioned coat rack was located by the door to the cellar, closer to the other end of the hallway.

To the right was what Blaine called the den, but Kurt called a living room. A couple of couches were placed face to face, a coffee table between them, and a fireplace nestled in the wall opposite where they were standing.

More pictures were on the wall, a couple of Blaine, but mostly of scenery, with a beautiful clipper ship oil painting above the fireplace. The room was done in subtle autumn colours, with dark reds, greens, yellows and oranges. The blues, greens and whites of the ship above the mantle made it stand out as the focal point of the room.

"Wow," Kurt breathed. Blaine looked in the room, and smiled at his boyfriend.

"Yeah, it kind of just stands out, doesn't it?" He followed Kurt's eyes to the ship on display. He led Kurt closer to the painting, settling them on the couch while he began recounting a story.

"Apparently, legend has it, this is the ship of the dread pirate Francis Drake. Ever heard of him?" Kurt shook his head softly, staring up at the ship cutting through the deep blue water, gulls flying around the sails. He could almost imagine himself on the ship, the rolling of the sea under his legs as they sailed through shark-infested waters.

"Well, from what I've been able to find out, he was born of puritan parents. He started out being an officer in the royal navy, but ended up becoming a pirate. It was more lucrative, you see." Kurt nodded, allowing Blaine's story to filter through his imagination, incorporating the information into his daydream. "Essentially, he was recruited by Queen Elizabeth to be a privateer. That means he was actually allowed to attack and sink other ships, as long as they were enemies of Queen Elizabeth. This went on for years and years, and when he got back home, she knighted him. The name of his ship was the 'Golden Hind'. That is, supposedly, her." Blaine ended, his hand waving at the ship mounted on the wall.

Kurt blinked, his eyes twinkling merrily at the thought of Sir Francis, sailing around the world, doing the good work of Queen Elizabeth. He stared up at the painting for a few more seconds, before turning to Blaine with a huge smile.

"And no, dear, before you ask, we do not have a clipper ship you can play on," Mrs. Anderson called from the doorway. Both boys started, turning to her. She was leaning gently on the doorframe, enjoying the story Blaine had been spinning.

"Mary advises me that there is a total of two minutes left before lunch is ready, boys. Anyone hungry?" She laughed merrily when Blaine jumped up and pulled Kurt up with him.

"Starving!" Blaine commented. "I'll just take Kurt upstairs, and we'll wash our hands, and we'll be right back!"

"You know, Blaine," Kurt grinned at his bouncy boyfriend, who yanked him bodily up the polished staircase to the second floor, pointing him to the bathroom at the end of the hallway. "Technically, children in Africa are starving. You're just a bottomless pit." Blaine entered the room after Kurt, pushing up his sleeves, and wetting his hands carefully.

"True. True," Blaine replied, smile on his face. After thoroughly washing, they returned downstairs to the clatter of plates being picked up by Mary, his parents, and Eric. Kurt grabbed the jug of juice, and followed everyone out onto the back patio. Placing it on the large outdoor table, he took a moment to look out over the expansive grounds, empty of people, but not of objects.

There was what looked like a large workshop to one side of the house, a playground set to the other side, and what looked to be a stable farther down the slight incline.

"Wow," Kurt breathed again, his eyes as big as saucers. Blaine wandered over to Kurt's side, placing his hand gently at Kurt's waist, pulling him closer. Kurt looked at Blaine, asking for explanation.

"Yes that's an actual stable. I grew up loving horses, and when we could finally afford one, I begged and begged for a horse of my own." Blaine laughed gently at Kurt's face. "What? Didn't you ever want anything as child? Things you would do anything for?"

Kurt's face pinked slightly, as he mumbled under his breath.

"I'm sorry, Kurt, I didn't quite hear that," Blaine murmured softly.

"…A pair of sensible heels…" Kurt quietly mentioned, and told Blaine the story about when he was three and what he had wanted for his birthday.

At that, Blaine laughed, long and loud, and even Kurt had to smile at the reaction his revelation had received.

"If you boys are quite finished regaling each other with stories, I think we'd like your presence at the table to help us eat this," Mr. Anderson smiled benevolently at the pair, and motioned to chairs at the table. "Mary, you're part of the family, so you sit and eat too. Jeff, Eric, would you like to sit with us as well?"

Mary sat beside Kurt, her gentle smile and quick wit keeping him on his toes, as she bantered back and forth with Blaine and his parents.

In all, Kurt was quite certain he hadn't had such a lovely meal in quite some time.


	12. Chapter 12

Okay, so this is kind of fun. I was debating on what Kurt and Blaine could do during the 4 day weekend in L.A. Then it hit me: DISNEYLAND. I've always wanted to go, but I'm Canadian, with no passport, so it's not happening any time soon. I actually had to do research online to be able to provide prices on tickets. So as of today, this is the price if you're headed there.

* * *

><p>Kurt and Blaine were in L.A. for a few days. It was the weekend, and the Anderson parents had pulled some strings at the school, and requested the boys be out of school until the following Wednesday. So on Saturday when Kurt woke up, he was completely disoriented, looking around at the walls and décor in the room that were most assuredly not his.<p>

Looking at the alarm clock on the table beside the bed, he groaned as it said 6:37 A.M. What the devil had woken him up so early? And where was he? In a split second he remembered where he was, and the reason he had woken early, all due to the rousing "Good Morning!" that erupted from the end of the bed. His demented boyfriend was sitting there, literally bouncing, a huge grin spreading over his face as he saw that Kurt was awake.

"Oh. My. God." Kurt groaned again, rolling over and pulling his pillow over his head.

"Kurt?" The sun shone directly into his eyes, as Blaine pulled his pillow up, looking at Kurt with mild concern in his eyes. "Are you getting up, Kurt? I have SO much for us to do today. Huh, Kurt? Are you up yet, Kurt?"

Grabbing his pillow, Kurt proceeded to blindly thwack Blaine across the head, leaving the shorter boy slightly stunned.

"Crap," Kurt's eyes opened a crack, and he yawned. Sitting up, he took in the stunned expression on Blaine's face. "Blaine, you okay?" Kurt started to become genuinely concerned as he took in his boyfriend's face. "Blaine?" Kurt was fully awake now, and he was worried about the boy beside him.

A slow grin crept over Blaine's face, turning slightly manic as he reached out for one of the pillows on Kurt's bed.

"Blaine, don't" Kurt tried very hard to put on his best "Don't you dare" look. Unfortunately, the grin that was on Blaine's face was echoed on Kurt's, and he also reached for a pillow.

The next thing Kurt knew, they were beating the crap out of each other with the pillows, laughing and screeching together, and jumping around on Kurt's bed, chasing each other around. As is normal when having real fun, an adult showed up just as the seams on one of the pillows gave way, the feathers puffing up into the air, and falling gently all over both boys as they heard a quiet cough from the door.

They looked over to see the Anderson parents standing there, side by side, Mr. Anderson's arms crossed, and Mrs. Anderson's hands on her husbands' shoulders. They were both wearing housecoats over their pyjamas, and slippers on their feet.

Blaine and Kurt stopped dead, Blaine spitting out a feather that he had accidentally inhaled when he gasped for air upon hearing the cough.

The Anderson parents walked into the room, surveying the damage around them. Feathers were still drifting down from the ceiling, and a couple landed in Mrs. Anderson's hair. Her husband looked at her, and started giggling softly. What he didn't know, was that a small feather had attached itself to his right eyebrow, and Mrs. Anderson began to giggle herself. Together, they reached for pillows at he same time, and what had started out as a normal pillow fight soon progressed into a full out pillow war, as Mrs. Anderson teamed up with Blaine, and Mr. Anderson teamed up with Kurt. By the time they were done, it was 8:15A.M., and the room truly looked like a disaster area. They had only stopped when Mary finally came into the room and announced in a clear tone:

"I hope you know that picking up all those feathers is NOT in my job description!" And proceeded to walk out in a huff.

The three Anderson's and Kurt all looked at each other, then Mr. Anderson let out a war whoop, and ran out the door, Mrs. Anderson at his heels, and they proceeded to chase Mary around the house.

Laughing happily, Kurt and Blaine surveyed the room, and Blaine then sighed softly.

"I'll go get the broom and dustpan." Kurt began cleaning up the biggest piles of feathers, and placed them in the now empty pillowcase.

After breakfast, Blaine called for a car, which was on standby for he entire weekend for himself and Kurt, as Blaine's parents had possession of the rental car.

After giving the driver directions, he and Kurt sat back in the backseat, Kurt's eyes bugging out from the view of everything around him.

"Oh my GOD!" Kurt cried loudly, almost scaring the crap out of the driver. "That's the ocean! The freaking ocean! I've always waned to see it and there it is! It's so freaking huge!" He turned wonder-filled eyes to Blaine, who smiled back fondly.

"Yes, Kurt. That's the ocean. And look over there," He pointed towards their destination.

"Holy _crap_, Blaine! Is that?" And Kurt's eyes bugged out even more, his heart racing at top speed, a mile a minute.

"Yes, Kurt. That's Disneyland. And that is where we are going to go and have a ton of fun, because you need some fun in your life." Blaine's eyes caught Kurt's, questions looming unspoken as he searched Kurt's soul for the answers.

Neither boy had bothered to mention it, but Kurt sill suffered from horrifying nightmares about what had happened. Blaine didn't want to bring it up, as it would cause the taller boy embarrassment, knowing that Blaine knew about them. Kurt didn't want to bring it up either, partly because of the embarrassment, but mostly because he didn't realise that Blaine knew about them. So they both kept quiet about them, neither acknowledging that the other knew about the nightmares.

"Yeah," Kurt commented lightly, trying to improve the suddenly solemn mood in the car. "Fun. Yeah, I remember that," He winked softly at Blaine, then took his hand gently, and squeezed.

Blaine's mouth turned up in a smile, his eyes crinkling softly as the car pulled up as close to the main gates as they could get. Emerging from the car, Blaine and Kurt pulled out their sunglasses, and made their way to the entrance.

"Good Morning, sirs," The chipper young lady at the window said. "That'll be $160 plus tax for the both of you, unless you're planning on going to both parks today, in which case it will be $210 plus taxes. Which would you prefer?"

Blaine considered for a moment, then advised her gently, "I think we'll stay here for today. We'll go see the California Adventure park another time. Is that okay with you?" He looked quietly at Kurt, whose eyes had become very large in his head.  
>"Y-yeah… I suppose… I mean, sure…" Kurt mumbled, and the girl behind the window giggled.<p>

"First timer, huh?" She giggled again, clapping her hand over her mouth guiltily. "Sorry… sorry… it's just you two are positively adorable, and I wish I could go with you to make sure you see everything."

Blaine gestured with his right hand, his left clasping Kurt's hand gently. "That's all right, miss," He exclaimed magnanimously. "I've been here several times, so I'll show him everything he needs to see! Oh, and thanks, by the way." He wiggled his eyebrows at her, earning them another soft giggle, and a wave through the doors.

They stepped through, and Kurt was overwhelmed by the sheer, _Disneyness_, of it all.

It was fairly early still, so the street performers weren't out in force yet, but there were a few people milling about, trying to decide which areas to go to first.

"Come on, Kurt. I know exactly where to go from here." Kurt smiled fondly at his boyfriend as he was pulled to the left and into the chaos that ensued.


	13. Chapter 13

Klaine Chapter 13

"OH MY FREAKIN' GOD OH MY FREAKIN' GOD OH MY FREAKING GOD!" Kurt's voice pierced the evening air, as he and Blaine rode on their final roller coaster of the day. Blaine looked to his right, watching the slender boy beside him who currently had huge eyes, whipping hair, and the biggest grin he had ever sported on his face.

Blaine's stomach dropped just a little, as he gazed at his boyfriend in wonder. _How the devil did I get so lucky? _He thought to himself, as the roller coaster slid gently to a stop, the latches on the protector bars coming loose to let them out.

Blaine helped Kurt out of his seat, and twined his fingers into Kurts. As they made their way down the boulevard, toward the area set up for the fireworks, Kurt couldn't help noticing the way Blaine looked at him. It felt like they were the only people in the world, and everything that had happened during this magical day had been specifically for them.

Kurt blushed softly, as he turned towards his boyfriend, his arm finding Blaines' waist. Words weren't needed by this time, not that either one of them had any voice left after all the screaming they had done over the course of the day. Together they found a lovely place to sit on the grass, and watch the fireworks.

Laying back, Blaine pulled Kurt to him, snuggling him into his side, and laying a series of kisses into his hair, on his cheek and down his jawline. Kurt pressed back, nudging Blaine softly when he stopped kissing him.

"Fags!" Came an ugly voice, a second before they were both drenched in a familiar sweet drink. Kurt gasped, inhaling some of the drink and beginning to cough loudly as it entered his lungs.

Blaine jumped up quickly, but their aggressors were long gone, having been too cowardly to stick around to see the end result of their dirty work. Leaning back down to check on Kurt, he ended up thumping him a few times on the back, but Kurt was all right.

"Damn, dude… that sucks! I wasn't even close enough to jump 'em for you," Came a voice that carried over the mutterings of the people around them. "Dude, I totally understand if you want me to go find 'em and kick the crap outta 'em, but I think you'll probably want to change first. Here," The blond boy smiled, his very white teeth offset by the dark tan and curly locks. He was the absolute epitome of a beach bum, right down to the band tee-shirt and Hawaiian board shorts.

"It's okay," Blaine responded quietly, even though the boy could tell it wasn't, not really.

"Hey, my name's Kevin, dude," the boy replied, handing over towels and mysteriously, a change of clothes for each of them. "Sorry if they don't fit right. I had to guess the sizes."

Kurt stood, weak after his coughing fit.

"That's all right, I'm sure they'll be fine…" Kurt's eyes were filled with tears, a mix of the coughing and being upset that such a beautiful day had been ruined. He grabbed the clothes from Kevin, and asked where the changing rooms were.

Following Kevin to the clothing store, where he obviously worked, they changed and got cleaned up as best they could.

Blaine tried to pay for the clothes they had taken, but Kevin was having none of it.

"Dude, like, if somebody had slushied me, especially after having had as great a day as I know you two have had, I'd wish that somebody would just be nice to me, too, you know? Like, they made me so mad! It's not, like, _right,_ for you guys to get picked on 'cause you're gay, man! To each his own, and love where and when you can, man!" Kevin shook his head softly, and looked upset for them. Kurt looked at Blaine, and then leaned over, and gave the store employee a huge hug.

Kevin grinned, and returned the hug softly, backing away from Kurt as Blaine began to take on a slight scowl.

"Woah, dude, like, don't eat me or nothing. I think you guys look great together. Besides," Kevin announced proudly. "I'm straight! Oh, and my girlfriend totally wouldn't approve!"

That statement sent Kurt off into a fit of giggles, and after a moment, Blaine and Kevin joined in. The three laughed, and then they heard a huge boom coming from outside the little shop.

"Someone's most likely taken our spot by now," Kurt muttered quietly. Kevin looked at him and Blaine thoughtfully.

"Well, I think I can help ya there. Now, don't tell my manager or nothin', but there's a real nice spot to watch the fireworks from the roof," And Kevin showed them the stairs that led to the roof access. "There's even a little table you can sit at, now get your backsides up there!" And with that, Kevin sauntered off to help a customer.

Blaine and Kurt raced up the stairs, hoping to be able to catch most of the fireworks display.

Once seated, Blaine began to hum.

"Katy Perry, Blaine, seriously?" Kurt laughed but began to sing softly under his breath in time with Blaine's humming.

Do you ever feel like a plastic bag  
>Drifting through the wind, wanting to start again?<br>Do you ever feel, feel so paper thin  
>Like a house of cards, one blow from caving in?<p>

Do you ever feel already buried deep?  
>Six feet under screams but no one seems to hear a thing<br>Do you know that there's still a chance for you  
>'Cause there's a spark in you?<p>

You just gotta ignite the light and let it shine  
>Just own the night like the 4th of July<p>

'Cause baby, you're a firework  
>Come on, show 'em what you're worth<br>Make 'em go, oh  
>As you shoot across the sky<p>

Baby, you're a firework  
>Come on, let your colors burst<br>Make 'em go, oh  
>You're gonna leave 'em falling down<p>

You don't have to feel like a waste of space  
>You're original, cannot be replaced<br>If you only knew what the future holds  
>After a hurricane comes a rainbow<p>

Maybe you're reason why all the doors are closed  
>So you could open one that leads you to the perfect road<br>Like a lightning bolt, your heart will blow  
>And when it's time, you'll know<p>

You just gotta ignite the light and let it shine  
>Just own the night like the 4th of July<p>

'Cause baby you're a firework  
>Come on, show 'em what you're worth<br>Make 'em go, oh  
>As you shoot across the sky<p>

Baby, you're a firework  
>Come on, let your colors burst<br>Make 'em go, oh  
>You're gonna leave 'em falling down<p>

Boom, boom, boom  
>Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon<br>It's always been inside of you, you, you  
>And now it's time to let it through<p>

'Cause baby you're a firework  
>Come on, show 'em what you're worth<br>Make 'em go, oh  
>As you shoot across the sky<p>

Baby, you're a firework  
>Come on, let your colors burst<br>Make 'em go, oh  
>You're gonna leave 'em falling down<p>

Boom, boom, boom  
>Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon<br>Boom, boom, boom  
>Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon <p>

By the end of the song, the fireworks were finished, and Kurt and Blaine made their way downstairs to say goodbye to Kevin.

"Dudes, please don't judge all us Califonians' by the reception you received today. Most of us are decent, hard-working Americans, and the guys you met today, were not even close. Pretty sure they weren't even from California. We caught, 'em, by the way." He added, almost as an after thought.

"What?" Kurt asked, bewildered. "I thought they were gone before they could be caught?" He added quietly, trying to avoid the suspicious stares of a couple of late night shoppers.

"Yeah, well, one of the best things about working at Disneyland? Closed Circuit Television cameras. I asked a friend of mine at Security to take a look and see if they could find the bastards who did it, and they nailed 'em, threw 'em out, and told 'em if they ever come back they'll be thrown in jail. Rotten jerks got what they deserved." And with that, Kevin threw them a smile, his grin all teeth, waved goodbye, and wandered off to help the two ladies in the store.

Kurt and Blaine waved back, And proceeded to make their way back to the car, which Blaine had called for.

They made their way back to the Anderson's home, and parked outside. They weren't quite ready to go inside yet, so they wandered to the back yard. It was definitely different than Ohio, and Kurt couldn't name all of the species of plants that were around.

"Don't worry," Blaine murmured softly into Kurt's ear, causing the other boy to shiver in delight. "My folks made sure all the cacti were removed from the property when they bought it." Sitting on the swing located halfway out into the yard, they sat there for quite some time, watching the stars and the fireflies as they kept up the dance they had been working on for millennia.

Early the next morning, Mr. Anderson found them, outside on the swing, sleeping entwined in each other. Requesting a blanket from Mary, he lay it over top of them, and returned quietly to the house.


	14. Chapter 14

Okay, Baggage fans, this here is the penultimate chapter! One more after this, but it's more of an epilogue than a real chapter. I'm still not 100% sure I like the way this turned out, but it is ended, and I can move on to other stuff now. Thank you so much to everyone who has favorited, reviewed and continued to keep reading, even when I take my sweet ass time about updating. I never in a million years would have expected people to actually like what I wrote, let alone send me such lovely comments. You guys mean the world to me!

* * *

><p>Six amazing months had passed by since Blaine had found Kurt, and they were celebrating. They were now both eighteen, they had both just finished their eleventh year in high school, and were on their way to grade twelve, their senior year.<p>

It was now the tail end of summer, the heat wave in Ohio enough to keep most people inside of their houses.

Blaine had just returned from visiting some relatives in the Philippines, and Kurt had just returned from camping with Burt and Finn, and they simply lay together in the hammock in Kurt's backyard, enjoying each other's company.

"I'm not sure if I ever said thank you," Kurt murmured softly, lazily playing with Blaine's curly hair. It was too hot to put any product in his hair, so his curls swept free.

Blaine looked up at Kurt, hazel eyes finding bright blue ones.

"Mmmm? For what?" Blaine asked just as quietly. That was something Kurt had loved ever since he had met Blaine. No matter what they talked about, they could always be calm and quiet when with each other.

"For saving my life," Kurt replied, and felt his cheeks blush as Blaine stared at him. "What? Am I not allowed to thank you?" Kurt began fumbling in the hammock, making to get up.

Blaine grabbed Kurt's wrists gently, pulling him back down and positioning Kurt above him, wrapping his arms around Kurt's waist, holding him there.

"If memory serves me, you _did_ say thank you, but it really wasn't necessary," Blaine murmured, his expressive eyes glistening gently with unshed tears. "I found you that day, and yes, you were a mess." He pulled Kurt just a tiny bit tighter, rubbing soft circles into his boyfriend's back. Kurt harrumphed.

"You were a mess Kurt, but you were also _hurting_," Blaine emphasised, sitting both him and Kurt up in the hammock. This was a discussion that he wanted to have face-to-face, as equals, and lying down wouldn't have cut it.

"I found a lost boy there, someone who was hurting so fucking badly, and all I could think about was how desperate you looked, how lonely and sad, and I couldn't let you stay that way." Blaine took Kurt's face in his hands, gently cupping his cheek and planting soft kisses to Kurt's eyes, nose, and lips.

"I know it's stupid, Kurt, but I fell in love with you, from the very first second that I saw you. It wasn't magic right away, and I never meant for it to happen, but, Kurt, _I love you_. I've never loved anyone else, and I will never _stop_ loving you. In a way, Kurt, you saved _me_ just as much as I saved you." Blaine continued kissing Kurt, his hands roaming over the boys' face, neck, shoulders and chest, and sliding down Kurt's back to hold him possessively against his body.

They lay together on the hammock again, slowly kissing, and exploring each others' mouths, until the sun lay low in the sky. Then together, they rose, and made their way into Kurt's house for dinner with Kurt's parents.

* * *

><p>"Hey, Mr. Hummel, can I talk with you for just a minute?" Burt Hummel looked out from under the silver Ford he was working on, and noticed a very nervous-looking Blaine Anderson standing a few feet away.<p>

Burt's eyes widened. Blaine never came to the shop when Kurt wasn't here. "Blaine, you know, Kurt's not here at the moment. He's gone to Mercedes' place for the night. You know that, right? Didn't he tell you?" Burt's frown made Blaine even more nervous than he was before. He really didn't want to screw this up.

"Actually sir, he did. And that's kind of why I'm here. I'm not here to talk to him, sir," Blaine gulped softly, and Burt's eyebrows shot up. "I'm here to talk to you." Blaine's eyes were cast down, looking for all the world like a whipped puppy.

Burt slowly rose up off the ground, grabbing a rag to clean off his hands, and gestured for Blaine to follow him.

"Jim, I'll be in the back if you need me. Try not to need me for a bit, huh?" Burt called to the man working under the Chevy Impala at the back of the shop, and then led Blaine into the office at the back right hand corner. Closing the door, he slowly turned to look at the young man standing before him. He gestured to the seat in front of the desk, and pulled up his own seat behind it.

"I'd rather stand, Mr. Hummel, if you don't mind." Burt was sure Blaine was looking a little green, but decided to let the boy come out with whatever he had to say on his own. Besides, he was pretty sure he knew what Blaine was about to do.

"Sir, as you know, Kurt and I have been together for almost a year now." Blaine began, looking Burt's way as he received a confirming nod from the older man.

"In that year, we have faced so many things together. From people discriminating against us because we're gay, to being attacked, to facing disapproval from a few people we care about." Burt nodded again, recalling the night that Blaine had had to stay with Kurt because they had told Kurt's maternal grandfather about Blaine, and he had struck Burt's boy. Burt felt his blood pressure elevating at the recollection, and tried to calm himself. It wouldn't do to get angry at this point. He had already told the old man he would no longer have a part in Kurt's life. Blaine continued.

"I love Kurt, Mr. Hummel; with all my heart, with every breath in my body, every piece of my soul. I'm not saying I will never get angry with him for silly things, or make him angry with me for other silly things; I'm not saying we're perfect. Neither one of us is… Oh God, I'm not saying this very well." Blaine passed his hand over his eyes, trying to compose himself, as Burt looked on silently.

"I love Kurt, Mr. Hummel. I want every day to be spent trying to make him happy. My folks have money. I can take such good care of him. I _want_ to take care of him. I want him to be happy. I love him _so much_, Mr. Hummel, you have no idea!" Blaine had to stop, his breath was ragged now and he was twisting his hands together, and why oh _why_ had he _ever_ thought this was a good idea?

Burt Hummel looked at the basket case of a boy in front of him, patiently waiting for the words he knew Blaine was trying to get out.

"Sir, I've… Well, I've come to askforKurtshandinmarriage…" Blaine rushed out, his voice exceptionally low, so that Burt had to really listen to be able to hear it. His heart leapt when he realised that Blaine had, indeed, just asked for Burt's permission to marry Kurt.

"I'm sorry, what?" Burt couldn't help but tease the boy a bit, a tiny smile playing around the corners of his mouth.

"I-I want to ask your permission to… to marry Kurt." Blaine said, his eyes finally looking up to meet Burt's for the first time since the conversation began. The two held each other's gaze for a minute, and then a loving look came over Burt's face.

"Son, you are more than welcome in our family. I've looked at you as though you were part of the family for so long, it would just be plain weird if you weren't there. Of course you have my full and complete blessing to marry Kurt. Oh, and by the way, you have Carole's too. She's been waiting for a while now for you to pop the question."

Burt chuckled softly, as a look of intense relief came over Blaine's face. His whole body sagged, and he nearly slid boneless to the floor.

"Oh, and Blaine," Burt smiled again at the young man before him. "Have you picked out the ring and figured out how you're going to ask him yet? 'Cause Carole told me to tell you she has a couple of ideas…"

* * *

><p>"Blaine, where are you taking me?" Kurt was truly excited. Blaine hadn't told him <em>anything<em> about this trip, just told him they were going away for the weekend. It wasn't a special weekend, like an anniversary or his birthday or anything, so he was surprised that Blaine had chartered his private jet, kidnapped a very willing Kurt, and pulled up to the tarmac.

"You'll see," Blaine smirked for the thousandth time, and helped his lover onto the plane. They sat together in seats that were side by side, cuddling as best they could, as they waited for the plane to take off.

Kurt fell asleep after nearly three hours in the air, and when he awoke the lights were dimmed and it was dark outside the plane. He snuggled up closer to Blaine, who had his arms wrapped around Kurt, and drifted back to sleep to the humming of the planes' engines.

With a soft bump, the plane landed, waking Kurt for the second time. It was daylight, although Kurt didn't feel like he had slept for a full twelve hours. Blaine was already up, his arms still caressing his boyfriend, and he was smiling softly at Kurt.

"Oh my God, my _hair_!" Kurt squeaked, as he realised he had slept on a plane, with Blaine, and his hair was surely horrid-looking.

"You look fine, beautiful. Don't sweat it." Blaine responded, slipping his fingers through Kurt's silky tresses before smoothing it back from Kurt's face.

"Easy for you to say." Kurt smiled wryly, looking at the untamed wildness that was Blaine's morning hair. He _loved_ Blaine's wild hair.

They disembarked from the plane, Kurt blinking a number of times in the exasperating sunlight. Pulling out a couple of pairs of sunglasses, Blaine handed a set to Kurt before putting his own on, which were a brilliant pink colour.

"Thanks," Kurt replied, honestly glad Blaine had chosen a nice solid black for his pair, instead of more pink.

But when Kurt put the glasses on, he found he couldn't see through them. At all.

"Blaine, um… you might want to get a refund for these glasses. I can't see!" Kurt exclaimed, while trying to pull off the wraparound sunglasses.

"No! Leave them on, please?" Blaine whined. "I'll guide you around. This is supposed to be a surprise, remember?" Kurt huffed, not sure that he liked being blind, but gave in because Blaine was so damned adorable. He was led to a car, and clambered inside, as Blaine climbed in beside him.

Soon the sounds of a major city began echoing around them, the honking of cars, the chatter of people and other assorted sounds began to tell Kurt a bit about where he was. It smelled funny too. It was smoky, and smelled of creosote, and smelled just a bit like a wharf. Where the hell did Blaine bring me? Kurt thought to himself.

The car stopped, and Blaine got out, pulling a very reluctant Kurt from the backseat.

Blaine removed the blindfold, and waited just a moment for Kurt's eyes to adjust to the light surrounding them. As soon as Kurt could see, he screamed.

"_PARIS?_ You brought me to _freaking Paris_?" Kurt squealed, as the Parisians around them looked on delightedly. A few even chuckled. Kurt was in awe. He had never been to Paris, although he had told Blaine on several occasions that he had wanted to go. Over Blaine's shoulder was the Eiffel Tower. It was enormous.

"Kurt, we have reservations to eat dinner at the Eiffel Tower in about half an hour, would you be so kind as to join me?" Blaine asked, ever the dapper gentleman, and offered his arm to his boyfriend.

Kurt squealed again, and took his boyfriend's arm, pulling him along towards the giant structure.

* * *

><p>Kurt's eyes were watering. Of course he wasn't emotional, not at all. His boyfriend was just kneeling in front of him, holding out a box towards him, and had just divulged his deepest, most innermost thoughts in front of a boatload of strangers.<p>

Not emotional in the slightest.

Kurt's head swam, his heart thumping loudly in his chest, and he took a moment to think over everything that had happened in the past year and a half since he met Blaine. And sure, they had had some tough times. But they had made it through. Together.

And, oh no, Blaine was starting to frown, like he was worried about Kurt's reaction. Oh God what if he thinks I'm saying no, Kurt thought. So he smiled tremulously, his sturdy composure breaking in that single moment, and replied to Blaine's question with a single word.

"Yes."


	15. Epilogue

So, this is it. My Epilogue for Baggage. I hope everyone has enjoyed the ride. There were ups, downs and all arounds, and even some writers block which I think I've finally gotten rid of. As always, you guys feed me, so if you liked it, or didn't, think I should add things, or something, review and tell me about it. I love reading all the reviews you guys send me, and I do my best to make sure to reply personally to each one. Oh and for your information, I could TOTALLY see Blaine setting up with wedding in tie-dyed tee shirts and jeans. I'm just sayin'. XD

* * *

><p>Blaine was nervous. So nervous he was going to throw up. He had never been this nervous in his life, not even when he had had to sing in front of hundreds of screaming teenagers at the theme park he had worked when he was sixteen. He hadn't even been this nervous when he was asking for Kurt's hand from Burt.<p>

He stood in front of his friends, and his family, the Warblers and New Directions; even a few of the vocalists from Vocal Adrenaline were seated there.

Blaine thought back to all the preparations, all of the colour schemes that Kurt had picked out, the decorations and themes that Blaine was hopelessly lost with. Thank God Kurt was so good a that stuff. If it had been Blaine organising everything, they would have done this in jeans and a tie-dyed tee shirt.

Taking a deep breath, he felt a hand being placed on his shoulder. He looked to his left and saw Wes and David standing there, smiling encouragement at him. He looked across the flowered archway, and saw Finn and Mercedes standing on the other side. They both shot him encouraging glances too, when they saw his worried smile.

What if this wasn't what Kurt wanted? Blaine thought to himself. What if he was pushing Kurt, making him do something he didn't want to do? Blaine tugged at the collar of his shirt, trying to release some of the heat that was pouring off his body. Oh God, now he was sweating. Gross. Kurt would never want to marry him if he was _sweating_! Blaine nearly fell as he turned to Wes.

"I'm _sweating,_ Wes! I'm gross, I have to go change!" Wes calmly smiled at Blaine, shaking his head, and turning Blaine back towards the aisle. As soon as Blaine turned he caught sight of someone standing at the back, followed by the swelling of music.

Everything stopped. He was no longer nervous. This was _Kurt_, who was looking devastatingly handsome in his tux.

Kurt, who had saved Blaine's life just as many times as he had saved Kurt's.

Kurt, who looked like the most amazing person in the universe right now.

Kurt, who was walking down the aisle, smiling softly, never taking his eyes off Blaine.

Kurt, who was standing in front of the justice of the peace, nearly whispering his loving "I do."

Kurt, who was, for now and forever more, Blaine's husband.

* * *

><p>The two men sat together. They had been together so much longer than anyone had ever expected, including themselves. They sat on a front porch, sipping lemonade that one of them had made earlier, from scratch.<p>

Together, they moved as one, snuggling closer to each other. It was a cool, Fall day, and there were children running around all over the neighbourhood, since it was Halloween. They watched the kids play, running around in costumes, some of which neither man could identify. Why was that kid dressed as a leftover? One wondered, as a child ran past wearing Aluminium Foil over his jacket.

They chuckled softly as a child ripped and fell into a bunch of leaves, not hurt, and watched as he got up, dusted himself off, ran another two steps and fell back down, laughing all the while.

Then the smaller, more fragile man shivered gently, and the stockier one put his arm around his husband.

"Let's go inside, Kurt," Blaine offered softly, his arms supporting Kurt's failing body. Kurt stood, his mind wandering into the past and skipping lightly over the many, many memories he had had in his lifetime.

Blaine watched Kurt's face, knowing he was reliving his memories and not having the heart to bring Kurt back to the present. Not that he could have, anyway. Sometimes, having a partner with Alzheimers' was difficult.

"Kurt? Love?" Blaine tugged gently on Kurt's arm, and Kurt looked at Blaine with devotion in his rheumy eyes. Smiling softly again, he followed Blaine into the house they had bought and renovated, and lived in for the past forty years.

Blaine shook his head as he settled Kurt into his favourite chair.

Yes, Kurt having Alzheimers' was hard to watch. But Blaine had made a promise, seventy-five years ago, that he would love, honour, and above all things, _take care of_ Kurt Hummel-Anderson. And that's what he would continue to do, until the day he died.


End file.
